They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes
by Tori Stone
Summary: You know, there are a lot of stories in the fandom. Alot of DXS stories. Vast majority of them are about alternate ways that they get together, outside of PP. What if I told you that this story was about how they stay together, even with thousands of miles between them and one being on the verge of meeting a violent death? Would you read this story then? C'est finis, mes amis.
1. Chapter 1

**So...I challenged myself to have all of my unfinished stories updated by my birthday.**

**My birthday was two days ago.**

**I failed.**

**As an apology to you, my ever-patient readers, I decided to start yet another chapter fic. The idea behind this one came to me a few days ago and I haven't been able to get rid of it. Seemed like a perfect opportunity to introduce it to you.**

**The name of the fic is a line from a song called Dead Hearts, by Stars. Really good song. I heard it in a movie called _Like Crazy,_ but I think it may have also been in _The Hunger Games_. Not sure on that, though.**

**Okay, the rating is T, but...it's a strong T. There's no sex, but...well...it's kind of implied. Yes, in chapter one. You've been warned. In fact, rating very well may change. Be prepared.**

**I'm going to do better at updating, I promise. I just started a new job at Barnes and Nobel, and my hours are mostly at night. I get several days off each week, which will give me plentyyyy of time to update.**

**Yeah, I work at Barnes and Nobel. Jealous? (:**

**Alright. So. I don't own Danny Phantom. Let's get this show on the road!**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter One**

**August 6, 2012**

* * *

"Did you remember your toothbrush?"

"Yep."

"What about toothpaste?"

"It's all in there,"

"Deodorant?"

"Mom..."

"More than one pair of underwear?"

"_Mom_!" Danny cried exasperatedly, blushing fiercely. Sam stifled a giggle behind her hand. She was sitting cross-legged in the bedroom of Danny's apartment, watching as Maddie fussed over Danny's packing skills.

"Don't 'mom' me!" Maddie said, scanning the list Danny had compiled of all the items he would need for his trip. "Have you forgotten the two-week trip to Japan where you only brought one pair of boxers?"

"That was because they lost my other suitcase, remember?" Danny groaned. He sank to his mattress and covered his face with his hands.

"Conveniently," Maddie said, shooting a significant glance in Sam's direction. Sam laughed appreciatively. Danny gave the goth a scathing glare through his fingers before his onyx hair fell forward and hid his eyes.

"It's different this time, mom," He mumbled into his hands.

"You're right. This time I won't be there to run to the nearest Japanese grocery store to buy you more underwear." Maddie said, still scanning the packing list. Danny moaned incoherently into his hands. Sam laughed again. "Are you sure one bag is enough?"

"It's only a month, Ma," Danny said, emerging from behind his hands again. Maddie was gazing down at the single suitcase Danny had packed, her brow furrowed. She nibbled her lip as Danny stood up. "This is plenty,"

"I don't know..." She said, glancing back down at the packing list. Sam shifted uncomfortably, feeling as if she was intruding. Danny glanced back at her and gave her a small half-smile, assuring her that she was more than welcome in this little moment.

It was drawing close to the five-year anniversary of the Disasteroid. Danny had been invited on a world-wide month-long trip to each of the statues that had been erected in his honor to celebrate the milestone, but his parents had been invited to speak at a week-long ghost convention in Rome. Danny had insisted that they stay home from his trip, assuring them that he would catch them when he was in Rome.

Danny and Sam had been nearly inseparable since the Disasteroid. Sam had insisted in the beginning that she still had her own way of doing things; and while that was still true, she had recently come to the realization that she no longer thought of herself as a _'me.'_ She had morphed into a _'we.'_ It had become Danny and Sam, or Sam and Danny. Never just Sam. She expected to be stifled by it. But instead, she found that she rather enjoyed it.

And that _terrified_ her.

So she had opted to stay in Amity as well. Danny was rather surprised by it; Sam always went with him when he was invited on these things. He resented it a bit at first, asking a second time a few days after the first time she had declined while unleashing his most pathetic puppy-dog pout. Sam had very nearly caved, but she had to prove to herself that she could survive four weeks without Danny. So she politely told him she needed to stay home and work. He understood after that, defending her decision to stay home fiercely. Tucker, of course, was far too busy with his responsibilities as mayor, and Jazz was too busy moving in with her fiance, Micah. So Danny would be flying solo on this trip.

"Mom," Danny said, pulling the packing list out of her hands and letting it flutter to the floor by his feet. He took his mother by the shoulders and held her at arms' length. "I'm gonna be fine. It's just four weeks. You're gonna go to Rome with dad and you guys are gonna have a lot of fun at your convention and then you'll come back here and I'll be home before you know it."

"Sam?" Maddie asked, craning her neck around to look at her. Sam sat up a bit straighter. "Are you sure you can't go with him, just to make sure he stays out of trouble?"

"Ah -" Sam started.

"No, mom," Danny interrupted. Maddie looked back at her son. "Sam has to stay here and work. Ma, I'm twenty years old. You and dad got married and moved here when you were eighteen. I can take care of myself for a month,"

Maddie huffed and set to smoothing Danny's shirt over his chest. Sam bit her lip guiltily. Maddie struggled with Danny's celebrity status. Most of the people in Danny's life enjoyed it, excluding Danny; he was merely bewildered by it. Jazz opposed it at first, but soon realized that Danny's personality would not be effected in any way; she took pleasure in being referred to as Danny Phantom's sister. Tucker seemed too busy with being the mayor to really have an opinion, and Sam found it hilarious. Until the tabloids turned on her. Then she hated it with a burning passion. But most of the time it was funny. And Jack...

There was a clattering bang in the living room outside of Danny's bedroom door. The three snapped their heads in the direction of the door, which was flung open almost immediately. Jack Fenton's hulking figure filled the entire door frame. His face was lit with excitement. "Son, look what I just found!" He boomed excitedly. He extended his right arm, presenting an ancient-looking Danny Phantom plush doll.

Danny closed his eyes and sighed. "That's great, dad," He said.

"Wait, wait! Listen!" Jack pulled a string attached to the doll's back. As the string slowly drew back into the doll, it squeaked _"goin' ghost!"_

"Wow," Danny muttered. "Awesome." He shook his head and turned his attention back to his mother. "Mom, please stop worrying. I'm going to be fine. I promise. Okay?"

"Alright, alright," She sighed. She stooped and snatched the packing list off of the ground. She placed it neatly on Danny's open suitcase before glancing at her watch. "Oh, shoot. It's nearly seven. Jazz and Micah are coming for dinner. We should really go," Maddie appeared as if she did not want to go at all.

"I'll walk you two down to your car. There's something I want to ask you," Danny said, ushering his mother to the door of his bedroom.

"Eh...here, Sam," Jack handed her the Phantom doll. She accepted it, smiling up at the man. He ruffled her hair absently, before following his wife and son to the front door of Danny's apartment. Sam waited until she heard the door close.

"You're not so bad, you know," She murmured down to the doll. It smiled up at her. She chuckled and ran her fingertip through the doll's stiff hair. It was one of the original Phantom dolls. Sam wondered if it was the one Danny had snatched off the street just a few days before the Disasteroid. She shuddered at the memory.

"Sorry about that!" Danny called from the hall of his apartment. Sam stood and pocketed the Phantom doll as she went to join him in his living room.

"It's not a big deal," She said, plopping down on one of his plush leather couches. He threw himself across the same couch, laying his head in her lap. She ran her fingers through his hair absently, smiling when he groaned quietly in pleasure. "Everyone wants a little Danny before you have to go, and I can learn to share,"

He turned his head so that his face was buried in her stomach. "But not on date night," He said, his voice muffled against her skin. She giggled at his breath washing over her. He chuckled and reached up to intertwine his fingers with hers. "You shouldn't have to share on date night."

She shrugged, not trusting her voice. Danny tilted his head and peered up at her through ocean blue eyes, and she knew pretending she was happy was futile. If Danny had known her well before, he could read her mind now. He could sense every little emotion she was feeling with ease, and she could do the same with him.

He sat up and turned quickly, holding his arms aloft. Sam tucked herself into his side, sucking in a shaking breath. This was not the way to start out their last night together for a month.

"I'm fine," She swore, breathing deeply. The smell of his cologne calmed her. They remained quite still for some time.

"Well, we missed our reservations," He said forlornly. "I was gonna take you to Chez de la Lune...they have this vegan salad I heard is really really good..."

"Doesn't matter," She said, sitting up. He was searching her face anxiously. "I don't really care about going to a fancy resteraunt or anything like that. As long as I get to spend a little time with you, I don't care,"

"Well that can be arranged," He said playfully, leaning forward and stealing a kiss. She sighed and leaned into him, ignoring the voice in the back of her mind that cried out he was leaving in the morning.

He pulled away, his eyes opened before hers. He was still searching her, as if trying to pinpoint the emotions she was feeling.

They eventually ordered a pizza and turned a movie on. It was mindless, really; the perfect movie for that night. Sam was not paying attention; she was distracted by Danny, who demanded her attention with soft kisses and gentle caresses. Eventually, the movie ended, and Danny scooped Sam up and carried her to his bedroom, leaving the pizza half-eaten and forgotten on his coffee table. They laid in his bed together, kissing and touching, not speaking save a quiet whisper of the other's name. At midnight, Sam's phone alarm went off mid-kiss. Danny growled frustratedly as she scrambled out of bed, straightening her shirt, and dug through her purse, which was still on the chair she had occupied earlier.

"I should go," She said after she had shut it off, not wanting to go at all. Danny's eyes were wide and pleading already. "D, stop it. You have to be up early for your flight and I have work first thing -"

"_Sammmmm_..." He moaned, falling backwards against his pillows. "Don't go..."

"I have to," She said, bending to put her shoes back on. "We both need sleep."

"No," He said, sitting up suddenly. His sheets fell away from his exposed chest and Sam had to swallow hard to keep her jaw from falling slack. To say that he was well-defined was an understatement; he was muscular. Definitely muscular. Faded scars stretched across his pectoral muscles. Sam licked her lips subconsciously. "I don't need sleep," he continued, smirking at her. "I need you."

"Danny..."

"Sam, please. For the sake of my sanity, please stay here tonight," His voice was gruff and full of emotion. Sam stared at him a moment longer, before sighing and dropping her purse. Danny smiled triumphantly as she kicked her shoes off and climbed back into his bed, burying herself in his arms.

"Only 'cause you're leaving tomorrow," She mumbled against his collar bone. He squeezed her lightly, chuckling lightly. He ran his hand down her side, pausing when he reached her hip.

"What's this?" He asked, running his fingers over a slight bulge in her pocket. She blushed fiercely, and even in the darkness of his bedroom, Danny could see it. Before she could stop him, he had phased the doll out of her pocket and twisted away from her. She cried out and reached around him, bringing her body flush against Danny's bare back as she did. The Phantom doll was illuminated in a shaft of moonlight slipping through Danny's window. "You kept this?" He asked incredulously, craning his head around to look at her disbelievingly.

"Yes." She huffed, snatching the doll out of his fingers. She rolled onto her back, clutching the doll to her chest. Danny rolled onto his other side and propped his head against his hand, watching her inquisitively. She sighed again, refusing to meet his gaze. She stared at the ceiling instead. "You asked me to stay here tonight for the sake of your sanity. I need this" she lifted the Phantom doll away from her chest a few inches, "to keep mine."

Danny was silent. Sam glanced at him anxiously, to find him watching her with a most peculiar expression on his face. The look he was giving her was absolutely smoldering; she had never seen him looking so passionate before. He tugged the doll out of her hands gently, placing it on the mattress on the other side of her head, before lifting himself off of the bed. He positioned himself directly over her, their chests pressed together, and kissed her fiercely. Sam felt herself turning to mush as his tongue darted between her teeth and delved into her mouth. She was certain that had she been standing when Danny delivered this kiss, she would be on the ground in seconds. He growled lightly, nibbling her lips with his teeth before thrusting his tongue back into her mouth. When she thought she might pass out from lack of oxygen, he pulled away. Her eyes fluttered open and she gasped. Danny's eyes were burning green with the intensity of the emotions he felt.

"I love you," He breathed. He brushed her hair away from her face with one hand, his eyes never leaving hers. "You know that?" She nodded, unable to form words. "Good."

And with that, he kissed her again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Soooo this is how this is gonna work:**

**I still have AT LEAST four other unfinished pieces to my name. And that's sooo not cool. So for every chapter I update on those other fics, I'll post a chapter to this story. I have a fairly complicated storyline that goes with this, so I'm not worried about running out of ideas for chapters. Deal?**

**Deal.**

**Aw, you guys. You are so sweet. All of you. I'm touched by how many of you have given me credit for inspiring you. I so don't deserve that, you're already awesome on your own. And for those of you who have private messaged me with super encouraging messages (I'm looking at you, SamXDanny (; ) I FRACKING LOVE YOU.**

**Fracking is actually a word. I've used it in a completely serious conversation before, I swear.**

**Um...I don't own Danny Phantom.**

**That's pretty much all I can think of for now. Except that I really need to come up with a better summary for this story. The one I have now does it absolutely no justice.**

**H'alright. H'enjoy.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Two**

**August 8, 2012**

* * *

The alarm on Danny's phone went off at four the next morning. Sam groaned when the sound reached her. She felt Danny reaching over her to grab his phone off of his nightstand and swat at the touch screen until the alarm turned off. When it was silent again, he heaved a deep sigh, sending warm air washing over Sam's face and neck. She split her eyes open a fraction of an inch and saw him watching her through half-lidded eyes.

"Morning," He whispered huskily.

"Morning," She squeaked back, sleep thick in her voice. Danny chuckled. His lips were still swollen and his face was flushed. He had gotten maybe two hours of sleep; Sam bit her lip guiltily, as she was the primary reason for his lack of sleep.

He closed his eyes and sighed again. "I don' wanna go," He mumbled into his pillow. Sam felt his arm snake around her bare stomach and pull her into his side. "I wanna stay here."

"Mmm..." Sam was already drifting back to sleep. She barely registered Danny saying her name and laughing at her lack of response. But she felt it when he crawled over her and out of bed.

She turned to her other side and squinted. She was just able to discern the shape of him moving through his room, bent to the ground to gather his clothes that had been roughly deposited just a few hours earlier. Sam sighed and sat up in bed, shivering at her own lack of clothes and pulling his sheets up around herself.

Danny turned to her as he pulled his shirt over his head. "Go back to sleep," He ordered gently, making a futile attempt at taming his bed head.

"No," She mumbled. "I want to be awake when you leave."

"Car's gonna be here in five minutes..." He muttered to himself, glancing at the clock on his wall. He turned back to her and rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly nervous. "I guess...since you're awake...I can give you something,"

Sam watched him kneel beside his bedside table, pulling out the drawer and rummaging through its' contents for something. Her heart was suddenly throbbing excitedly in her chest._ He's about to propose_.

But he did not pull a ring box out of the depths of the drawer. The jewelry box was large and flat; Sam eyed it before catching the expression on Danny's face.

"Sam," He said, sitting on the edge of the bed beside her. "I love you more than words can say. Y-you know that," Sam nodded, nibbling on her bottom lip. "And...I want us to be together for a long, _long_ time. Forever," He added with a nervous laugh. "When I imagine my future, it's always with you. No matter what happens to me, I'm always there with you. So," He popped the box open, and in the moonlight Sam could see a silver necklace. A key dangled on the chain. "Consider this...a promise." He pulled the necklace out of the box and started leaning toward her with it, before hesitating. "That is...if you want it,"

"A promise of what?" Sam asked breathlessly.

"That I will love you for the rest of my life. That we'll always be together. That...that we'll be engaged and married in the near future," His eyes were sparkling, and Sam realized that they were about to flash to green the way they did when he was particularly convicted of something. And when he blinked, his eyes did flash to Phantom green. Sam giggled nervously.

"Yes," She whispered. Danny's grin was blinding. He lunged forward and planted a forceful kiss on her lips, pulling her into his lap. Sam snaked her arms around his neck and kissed him back, momentarily forgetting that she was stark naked. Danny pulled away just long enough to clasp the necklace around her neck before diving back into a kiss.

They were so lost in each other that they almost missed a car horn honking from the parking lot a floor below them. "No," Danny growled against her lips, tightening his grip around her waist.

Sam savoured his hold for one last moment, memorizing his arms and his lips and his hair against her forehead before pulling back. She touched his cheek lightly. "Time to go." She whispered.

Danny grabbed her hand against his face and kissed her palm, his eyes never leaving hers. "I love you," He whispered against her skin. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," She murmured. Danny sighed and stood, turning away when Sam stood as well. She grabbed one of Danny's shirts that he had discarded a few days earlier and pulled it over her head. One hand was on her chest, where the key sat. She touched it through Danny's shirt.

She walked with him out of his bedroom and to his front door, where he hesitated and turned back toward her. Sam could see conflict in his eyes.

"Do me a favor?" He asked. She nodded. "Sleep here while I'm gone."

"Why?" Sam asked, utterly bemused by his request.

"I don't like your apartment complex," He said darkly. "Please, just...stay here. Okay?"

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she protested his implication that she could not take care of herself in her own apartment. But she knew he was right; there were more than a few creeps living a few doors down from her. Creeps that would put Vlad to shame. So she found herself nodding. "Okay," She said.

His gaze softened. He dropped his suitcase and bent to kiss her again. He had grown a ridiculously large amount since the Disasteroid, she noticed; in Antarctica, they were basically on even ground, Sam having him by a half-inch or so with her combat boots. But now he was at least six inches taller than her on a good day. The car honked again and Danny pulled away, sighing in frustration. "I'm coming," He muttered, pressing his forehead against hers and stroking her cheekbone with the pad of his thumb. Sam had to keep herself from running after him when he pulled away and picked his suitcase up by the handle. He opened the door to his apartment and stepped outside, waving at the driver Sam could not see. He turned back to her, grinning his crooked grin. "Take care of yourself, okay?" He asked playfully, but she knew he meant it. She nodded. "I'll see you," He waved.

Sam watched him descend the stairs to the parking lot, before heaving a heavy sigh. It was torture, closing the door, but she did it. She scurried back to his bedroom, suddenly feeling exposed. She paused only long enough to retrieve her phone from her purse before flinging herself back into his bed. Tears stung at her eyes as she breathed deeply. It smelled like him.

She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling, letting her phone rest against her stomach. Her mind was racing far too quickly to ever fall asleep. She jumped when her phone vibrated. She squinted at the screen and realized Danny had texted her. She bit her lip and opened the message.

_**Have I ever mentioned I really really like it when you wear my clothes?**_

Sam laughed. He had, in fact. Multiple times. She texted and reminded him, just to have him respond less than a minute later.

_**Why aren't you asleep?**_

She sighed. _**You expect me to sleep after that?**_ She typed. She drummed her fingers against the back of her phone, trying to find a pattern in the texture of his ceiling. He responded a few minutes later.

_**Sorry...didn't mean to give you insomnia. I planned on leaving it by the front door, but you were awake and...I wanted to see your face when you saw it. You like it, right? Won't hurt my feelings if you don't, I didn't really know what I was doing when I got it and the jewelry lady was weird when she saw me.**_

Sam laughed._** I love it**_, she typed. _**What do you mean she was weird?**_

_**She kept trying to sell me engagement rings.**_

Sam snorted. _**Awkward.**_

_**Lil bit. Please go back to sleep. I'm riddled with guilt now...**_

_**Why in the world are you guilty?**_

_**You're gonna be dead tired today at work and I'm gonna get to sleep on the plane. That's hardly fair.**_

Sam rolled her eyes. She was still formulating a response when she received a second text from Danny: _**Stop rolling your eyes, you know it's true.**_

She laughed and sat up, typing her response quickly. She stopped, however, when a cool breeze washed over her. She shivered, hardly daring to believe what she just felt. "Danny?" She asked hesitantly.

There was no response.

"Danny," She murmured more quietly. Still no response. She toggled over on her phone screen and called him.

"Sleep, now," His voice was groggy, like he had been dozing himself.

"You're...you're still in the car?" She asked quietly. The breeze was getting closer.

He was silent for a beat. "Yes." He said finally. She heard a rustling noise and realized he was sitting up from a slouching position. "Why?"

"I thought I heard you in the kitchen." She said, rolling over to his bedside table. She pulled the drawer open as quietly as she could and extracted a lethal-looking Fenton Gun. "Guess I'm hearing things," She said as she cocked the gun and aimed it at the breeze.

"Are you sure?" He was completely awake now, hardly concealing the alarm in his voice. "Go check, stay on the phone with me."

The breeze had retreated. Sam kicked Danny's blankets off and swung her legs off the bed, still aiming the gun. The breeze dissipated. Sam crossed his bedroom quickly, kicking the door open and peering around his darkened apartment. She could hear Danny breathing on the other line. The apartment was empty.

"All clear," She chuckled. She heard him sighing in relief. "I just need sleep. I'm hallucinating."

"Then go to sleep," He said. "But keep that Fenton Gun close."

"Will do," She yawned. "I'll talk to you later."

"I love you."

"Love you too."

She hung her phone up and dropped it on Danny's bed before turning back to the depths of the room. "I don't know who you are or why you're here, but Danny's gone. He's gonna be gone for a while. So go screw with someone else."

There was a beat of silence before a voice slithered out of the shadows and hissed six words. These six words, though she did not know it at the time, would set devastating events into motion and haunt Sam's nightmares for months to come.

"That's all I needed to know."

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_A/N: It's midnight and I'm reading through this again and I found a blaringly obvious typo. I could kick myself. I prefer to use the notepad application on my laptop as opposed to Word, but unfortunately notepad does not offer automatic spell check. I sort of count on myself to know how to spell things. Ugh. Edit done 11:52 PM 8/8/2012_


	3. Chapter 3

**I know I still have a chapter to post on one of my other stories, but I need to clear this out of my doc manager. So deal with it. :P**

**I haven't asked for reviews because I definitely don't deserve them, but I'm gonna go out on a limb here and request a few. You don't have to tell me what you think of this story if you don't want to. But I am curious about how you found this story.**

**Were you just browsing? Did someone suggest it to you? Were you on my profile?**

**If you don't mind, leave a review and let me know. I'm seeing that this already has nearly 200 views, and only five reviews. That's...kind of pathetic, not gonna lie. Reviews aren't just for the author, you know. Other readers check them out too before they read the story. I know I do.**

**But I'm not gonna complain anymore about that because I abandoned you guys for months. I sorry. D:**

**This is chapter three. I'm not really happy with it, it leaves a lot lacking...but hopefully that'll be fixed next chapter. This is really just filler, building suspense.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom or anything else you might recognize.**

**Enjoy (:**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Three**

**August 9, 2012**

* * *

"_Sam_!" Sam lurched forward, snapping out of her trance. Her manager, Rachel, was standing before her, arms crossed. Sam had been dozing off behind the registers at the Skulk and Lurk.

"Sorry." Sam muttered. She rubbed her eyes furiously.

"Late night?" Rachel chuckled, straightening a stack of books on a table near the register.

"You could say that," Sam said cryptically. Rachel had become one of her closest friends, but she was still Sam's manager. She did not need to know anything that had happened between Sam and Danny the night before.

Rachel chuckled. "I heard that." She said. "But you did see him before he left, right?"

Sam nodded.

"Good." Rachel smiled. Suddenly, her face hardened. "Try to stay awake for me, okay?"

Sam nodded and saluted as Rachel walked away. Luckily, it was not terribly busy that day. Most of the Skulk and Lurk's current clients were people hoping to catch Danny Phantom, as he frequented the place to visit Sam. But since Danny was out of town, the crowd was sparse.

Sam sighed as she drummed her fingers on the desk. She was doing her best not to touch the necklace Danny gave her, which was hidden beneath the shirt she wore. She spotted several paparazzi milling about across the street, probably trying to catch a shot of Sam looking depressed over Danny's departure. The rumors swirled when the press realized that Sam would not be joining Danny; rumors of infidelity sent Danny straight over the edge. He nearly hit one of them when they mobbed Danny and Sam. Had Sam not been there, he would have.

"Sam?" A tentative voice broke through her memories. She jumped and blinked. Dash was leaning against the counter, grinning at her.

"Hey, Dash." Sam said, shaking her head. "What's up?"

"Came to see you!" He said. He popped his knuckles absently, still smiling at Sam.

"Here I am." Sam muttered. She did not trust Dash, despite the fact that he had become very close with Danny since the Disasteroid. She supposed it was the years of torture at his hands that made her wary.

"Here you are," He laughed. "So I know you don't have any plans tonight..."

"Right you are." She sighed. She touched Danny's necklace through her shirt.

Dash's face brightened. "I'm having a little party at my apartment. Wanna come?"

"Ah..." Sam hesitated.

"Val's gonna be there."

"Oh," Sam nodded, wondering why her roommate failed to tell her about Dash's party. "Sure, then."

"Sweet!" Dash slapped the counter excitedly. "It's at seven!"

"See you then." Sam waved. She glanced at the clock as Dash left. It was noon. "Rach!" Sam shouted.

"Yeah?" Came her muffled response.

"I'm off!"

"See ya!"

Sam deposited her name tag in the break room and clocked out. She pulled her phone out of her purse and swallowed her mild disappointment at the lack of texts or calls from Danny. He was still on the plane at that point, she reminded herself. She scrolled through her contacts list until she found the name she was looking for.

"Hello?" Valerie answered after two rings.

"Hey." Sam said. She stepped out of the Skulk and Lurk, ignoring the shouts of the paparazzi as they spotted her. "You at home?"

"Yep." Valerie answered. "You just leave work?"

"Still working on it." Sam muttered through gritted teeth. The paparazzi had formed a mob, shouting questions and brandishing cameras in her face. "Will you unlock the door for me? I forgot my keys."

"Got it." Sam heard a distant clicking noise. "It's unlocked when you get here."

"Cool, see you in ten." Sam hung her phone up and stopped walking, trying not to lose her cool as she put her phone back in her purse.

"Sam, how does it feel to have Phantom dump you while he gallavants around the world?" A particularly sweaty man demanded.

Sam blinked in confusion. "I chose to stay here." She said.

"How do you respond to those who believe Phantom is having an affair with ghost rocker Ember?"

"Trust me when I say he wouldn't even dream of touching her, even if he wasn't with me." Sam said coolly. "If you'll excuse me, I have an appointment."

She shoved her way through the reporters, ignoring the questions they continued to hurl at her. Eventually they gave up, allowing Sam to walk to her apartment in peace.

When she made it to her apartment complex, she sighed in frustration. It was gated, meaning she needed her car to open the gate. Her car was still parked beneath her apartment, as Danny had picked her up in his car the night before. She would have to go through the front desk to get in.

"Hey, Zack." Sam said as she entered the tiny building just to the right of the gates. Zack, a pimply teenage boy, was completely absorbed in a comic book. He jumped when Sam said his name, lurching forward in his seat and dropping his comic book.

"Sam!" He shouted, his voice cracking over her name. Sam winced.

"I don't have my car," Sam said, pointing at the gate over her shoulder. "You think you could let me in through here?"

"Sure!" Zack said eagerly. It was a well-known secret that Zack harbored a crush on Sam. Valerie made it a point to remind Sam every time they passed the front desk together. Sam sighed and smiled at him as he propped the back door open for her.

"Thanks," She said.

"No problem!" He called as she walked away. She winced again, not bothering to turn around. She knew he would be leaning against the door, sighing dreamily. Valerie witnessed him do this once. She found it funny.

The apartment Sam shared with Valerie was not far from the front gate. Sam was climbing the stairs to her front door within five minutes.

"Val?" She called when she was inside.

"Back here." Valerie called back as Sam locked the front door behind herself. "You know the paparazzi's going ballistic over you not going with Danny on this trip, right?"

"I was attacked when I left work." Sam muttered darkly as she deposited her purse and shoes by the front door. She padded back to the office.

"I heard!" Valerie laughed.

Valerie was sitting in her computer chair, but she was not facing her desk. Instead, she was swiveled around toward their television, absorbed in the news. "They've been covering this non-stop." Valerie murmured without turning. "Some stations make you look like the bad guy, saying you flat refused to go with him. Others are saying that he forced you to stay home so that he could have a bachelor trip."

"They're so pathetic." Sam growled, dropping into her own computer chair. Sam's desk was situated on the opposite wall of Valerie's, and the television was set up between them. Sam turned her chair toward the television just as a picture of her zoning out at the Skulk and Lurk flashed across the screen. "Which one are we watching now?"

"The one that makes Danny look like an ass." Valerie said, a hint of a grin in her voice.

Sam chuckled darkly. "As it should be." She said, turning toward her laptop. "So guess who came to the Skulk and Lurk today?"

"Um...Vlad?"

Sam craned her neck around and arched an eyebrow at Valerie. "There's a name I haven't heard in a while," She said slowly. Something was stirring in the pit of her stomach at the sound of his name. She shook it off. "Guess again."

"I don't know, who?"

"Dash." Valerie blushed and turned her back to Sam. "He invited me to a party tonight that apparently you'll be attending?"

"Yeah, meant to tell you about that..." Valerie mumbled. "He asked me three days ago and I didn't want to be rude...but I told him I'd only go if you go."

"Val..." Sam whined. "You know how I feel about him..."

"Oh _come on_, we'll go make an appearance, stay for like half an hour, and then we'll go!" Valerie said, spinning around to face Sam. "It won't be that bad!"

"A half-hour at a Dash party always turns into three hours with you." Sam grumbled. She sighed in defeat. "Fine, we'll go."

Valerie smiled. "Cool!" Her smile faltered and she glanced down at her hands in her lap. "You talk to Tucker lately?"

Sam blinked. "Um, no, I haven't," She admitted.

"I'm worried about him," Valerie whispered. "I think he's working too hard..."

"I've been meaning to visit him," Sam said thoughtfully. "Maybe I can drop by and ask him to go to Dash's party?"

Valerie straightened up, her face brightening. "Yeah!" She said enthusiastically. "If there's anyone who can convince him to do something, it's you!"

Sam laughed, before sighing. "I need to shower, then I'll go up there to see him."

"Walk of _shaaaaame_..." Valerie sang. Sam rolled her eyes and stood. "Shame, shame, _shaaaaaame_..."

"Shut up!" Sam shouted. She went back into their front room and fished her phone out of her purse.

_**Hey. You busy?**_ She texted Tucker.

_**Nah, not really**_.

_**I'm coming up to see you later.**_

**_Cool cool see you then._**

Sam sighed and glanced out the window. Angry purple storm clouds were gathering in the east. As she watched, lightning flashed ominously. The pit of her stomach twisted nervously and the voice she heard earlier that morning came back to her.

"It's _all_ about to change..."


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright. _Sirens Suck _has officially been updated.**

**So here's chapter four.**

**I got a review asking about the point of view of this story. I'm gonna clear it up now: this story is Sam-centric. Meaning that for the vast majority of this story, it will be from Sam's third-person point of view.**

**Another concern I received asked about Danny's presence in the rest of the story. He will stay involved, I promise. For at least a few more chapters, it'll just be mentioning him, however. Like, Sam thinking about him or seeing something about him. He will come back in a more direct way later on, though. Don't worry.**

**Now I'm do something that I've never done with any other story I've written for this site before. I'm gonna ask for direct input from you, the reader. I need a song. (Yeah, I know. I never need songs.) I need a song Sam can sing to herself. Something relatively simple, but something that strengthens her. Maybe even something that reminds her of Danny. Leave me a review with the song name and maybe the line of the song that you think best fits the really crappy description I just made, and I'll look into it. I'll post the finalists in the A/N of a later chapter. Please, serious contenders only. I swear to God if I get something like Baby Got Back I'll shoot all of you. Kthanks(:**

**I don't own Danny Phantom or anything else you recognize in this story.**

**Enjoy (:**

**PS reviews are greatly appreciated and make me want to write better, faster. FYI.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Four**

**August 10, 2012**

* * *

Sam whirled around. "What?" she demanded sharply of the empty room.

"Huh?" Valerie's muffled voice came from the office.

"Did you say something?"

"Um...no." Valerie's head appeared in the doorway of the office, fixing a curious gaze on Sam. "Why?"

"I thought I just..." Sam trailed, turning slowly on her heel. The room was empty. She had not even felt a breeze that time.

Suddenly, a piercing alarm sounded overhead. Sam clapped her hands over her ears as Valerie darted into the room. Valerie ran to the closet, just beside the front door, and flung the door open. Sam gritted her teeth as Valerie extracted a Fenton Bazooka from the depths of the closet. She darted to a small panel attached to the wall near the kitchen and punched a few buttons. The alarm ceased immediately.

"Sam!" Valerie said sharply. Sam scurried to stand behind Valerie as Valerie aimed the Bazooka at the middle of the room. "Show yourself!" Valerie cried.

The room was utterly still for a moment before a large cardboard box came flying from toward the office. "_BEWARE_!" A nasally voice called.

"Are you effing _kidding me_?" Sam screamed. She darted around Valerie and yanked a Fenton Thermos out of the closet. "It's been _you_ this whole time?"

"The Box Ghost does not know of what you speak! I have been busy building my fortress made of all things square!" The chubby ghost appeared, streaking out of the hallway and brandishing several cardboard boxes the girls put in storage several months earlier. "Behold my _mighty_ and _awesome_ powers!"

"You heard him, Sam." Valerie sighed, propping herself up against the Bazooka and eyeing the Box Ghost lazily. "Behold."

"Oh, I'll behold alright." Sam growled through clenched teeth. She lunged forward, vaulting over the back of a couch and launching herself at the Box Ghost. He was given a second's notice before Sam's body crashed into his and sent him tumbling to the ground. Sam hardly registered Valerie shouting her name; she straddled the man's chest, pinning his arms at his sides. He cried out in protest, ectoplasmic energy beginning to radiate from his body. Sam felt the heat of it against her skin, but her anger with the ghost drowned the pain. "Why are you messing with me today?"

"I do not know what you are speaking of!" the Box Ghost cried.

"_Don't_ play dumb with me!" Sam screamed. She leaned forward so that their faces were inches apart. "I _know_ I heard you this morning in Danny's apartment!"

"I was not in the ghost boy's apartment this morning!" The Box Ghost said, his face shining in confusion. "I was attempting to take - er..._borrow_ the box of Pandora again!"

Sam blinked. "So...so it wasn't you I heard?" She sat up, releasing the Box Ghost's wrists.

The Box Ghost sat up and shoved Sam off of him. She fell backwards and hit her head against the floor. "Beware!" He screamed before vanishing into thin air.

Valerie appeared at Sam's side, offering her a hand. Sam took it and growled. "Idiot," She muttered as she rubbed the back of her head.

"You've been hearing voices?" Valerie quipped, stepping backwards and falling into the couch Sam vaulted moments earlier. Sam sighed and stood, stretching her back.

"Yeah..." She murmured, settling in an armchair. She propped her feet up on the coffee table between the chair she sat in and the couch Valerie lounged on. "I wasn't gonna tell anyone, mostly 'cause I thought it was some stupid ghost trying to mess with me."

"But it wasn't." Valerie prompted, leaning toward Sam expectantly.

Sam sighed again. "I don't know," She moaned, falling backwards against the cushions of the chair. "It didn't sound like a ghost trying to mess with me...it sounded like a real threat..."

"What did it say?"

"Um...well, it was right after Danny left. I was still in his bed and I felt this cool breeze and I just knew it was a ghost. But it wasn't Danny. So...so I said,_ 'Danny's not here, he's gone for a while. Go mess with someone else.'_ And then...the voice said..._'That's all I needed to know.'_"

Valerie sat up, her eyes ablaze with interest. "And you heard it again, just now?"

"Yeah. I was looking out the window and I heard the same voice say _'it's all about to change.'_" Sam rubbed the back of her neck. She picked the habit up from Danny.

"Interesting." Valerie murmured. Sam registered the look of alarm in Valerie's eyes.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure it was someone like the Box Ghost, I'm just really sensitive because Danny's gone. I'm sure it's nothing."

Valerie bit her lip and said nothing. Sam rolled her eyes and stood. "I'm gonna shower now."

"Okay."

* * *

Half and hour later, Sam settled into her car and slammed the door shut. She flipped the radio on and pulled out, trying to ignore Zack's frantic waving as she passed the front desk and drove out of the gate.

City Hall was a ten minute drive from Sam's apartment. She visited so often, though, that the people who worked at City Hall gave her her own parking spot right beside Tucker's. Danny's was on the other side of Sam's. Sam pulled in and gazed at Danny's empty spot, trying to ignore the ache in her chest. He had only been gone for a few hours and already Sam felt as if she was falling apart. She gritted her teeth as she climbed out of her car. _I can do this. It's four stupid weeks. I can survive four weeks without him._

The main entrance hall of City Hall was empty when Sam walked in. The clicks of her boots making contact with the marble floor echoed off the walls rather eerily. Sam sighed in relief when she reached the carpeted elevator. She was a bundle of nerves after her little episode with the Box Ghost.

The elevator dinged and the doors rattled open, depositing Sam on the third floor. She spotted a flurry of activity at the small reception desk just outside of Tucker's office. Two men were milling about behind the desk; one of them Sam recognized as Tucker's personal assistant, named Harvey. The other, who she did not recognize, glanced up at Sam when she approached. She smiled at him when his eyes widened in recognition.

"S-Sam Manson!" He squeaked. Harvey looked up, his eyes bright.

"Hey, Sam." Harvey waved.

"'Sup, Harvey?" Sam leaned against the reception desk, glancing down at the mounds of paper that littered the surface.

"Well this is Marcus." Harvey gestured to the other man, who was still staring at Sam. Sam smiled and offered her hand, which Marcus shook excitedly. "He's gonna be Tucker's new personal assistant."

"Tuck's getting rid of you?" Sam asked, her voice rising in alarm. Harvey was Sam's favorite personal assistant thus far; Tucker hired him three years back. Before that, there was a long line of pretentious blondes that didn't know a pen from a stapler, none of which lasted more than a few months.

"Nah, he promoted me. I'm now head of the treasury department." Harvey's eyes sparkled with pride. "I'm training Marcus all this week, then I start over there on Monday."

"Congratulations!" Sam cried. She shook Harvey's hand. "That's awesome!"

"Thanks! I'm really excited." Harvey laughed breathlessly. "If you wanna go on in, I think he's just finishing a conference call."

"Cool. See ya, Harvey! Nice to meet you, Marcus." Sam waved as she skirted around the reception desk.

"So, whenever Sam or Danny come in, you tell them they can go on in unless he's in a meeting," She heard Harvey explaining as she slipped through Tucker's office door. She chuckled as she shut the door behind herself.

"Right, right," Sam turned and saw Tucker leaning against his desk, phone pressed to his ear. He waved her further in. "No, I understand that. But that's not my point."

Sam was always shocked when she saw Tucker. He sprung up in height even faster than Danny. He was a good foot taller than Sam; he even had Danny by a few inches. The top of Sam's head barely brushed Tucker's chin now. She smiled at him as she walked further into his office, dropping her purse beside one of the chairs Tucker had set up before his desk.

Tucker gave Sam a one-armed squeeze when she was close enough. "Look, all I know is that I've been getting complaints about that intersection. It's the busiest one we have in the city, and it's also the center of ghostly activity." Tucker gave Sam a look as the person on the other end of the telephone responded. Sam chuckled and dropped into one of the seats. "We'll finish this conversation later, my four o'clock just got here. Yeah. No. I'll call you back. Oh for the _love_ of...I'll call you back. Bye." Tucker slammed the phone into the receiver and gave a strangled, frustrated shout. "People don't know how to shut up!" He declared, pulling Sam out of her seat and into a real hug.

"You're one of them!" Sam said, her voice muffled against Tucker's chest. Tucker laughed, his chest rumbling beneath Sam's ear.

"Ain't that the truth." He pulled away and smiled down at Sam, before crossing behind his desk and dropping into his chair. Sam sat back down in the chair she previously occupied. "So what's up?"

"Oh, you know," Sam said, shrugging nonchalantly. "I was in the neighborhood..."

"Val sent you, didn't she?" Sam nodded, wincing at Tucker's dramatic sigh. "God, I love that girl to death, but she _worries_ too much. I'm fine!" He raised his arms over his head.

"Well, I also wanted to see if you're busy tonight. Dash invited me and Val to a party at his place and I really don't want to go with just Val...not that I don't love her, too," Sam added quickly. Tucker nodded. "But...you know how Dash parties are..."

"Oh, you mean everyone getting wasted out of their minds and puking all over the place until they pass out?" Tucker asked, leafing through a stack of papers teetering on the edge of his desk. Sam laughed appreciatively. "I know exactly what you mean."

"I just really don't want to babysit Val by myself tonight. Will you please come with me?" Sam pleaded, leaning forward and giving Tucker her best puppy-dog pout. Tucker glanced up at her over the rims of his glasses.

"Damn. Danny taught you well." He muttered, dropping his gaze back to the papers. "Fine. I'll go."

"Yes! Thank you!" Sam leaned across the table and kissed Tucker's cheek. He chuckled and wiped his face playfully as Sam settled back in her seat. She glanced around his office happily. Not much changed since the last time she visited; pictures of Tucker's family populated the walls. Occasionally, Sam spotted a picture of herself with Tucker, or with Tucker and Danny among them. She knew there was a picture of just her and Danny on Tucker's desk, facing away from the door of his office. Tucker told her once that that picture reminded him why he was mayor.

"Yeah, yeah, keep your pants on." Tucker muttered. He sighed and snagged a pen from a drawer behind his desk. Sam watched as Tucker scrawled his signature across the bottom of an official-looking document, before something else caught her eye.

"What's that?" She asked, pointing to a fire-engine-red folder bulging with papers. Tucker glanced around in the direction she was pointing and paled.

"Oh...nothing." He snatched the folder up and made to shove it into yet another drawer in his desk. Sam lunged across the table and grabbed it, attempting to tug it out of Tucker's hands. "Sam, stop! I can't let you -"

"Oh, shut up!" She barked, yanking the folder out of his grasp. Tucker continued making sounds of protest, but made no move to take it away from her. Sam opened the folder and stared at the contents within.

It was picture after picture of asteroids. Sam glanced up at Tucker, eyebrows arched. "Rocks?" She asked incredulously. "You're trying to hide pictures of rocks?"

"Asteroids." Tucker corrected her. He held his hands up, reaching for the folder. Sam handed it back to him, still looking confused. "They're not rocks, they're asteroids."

"Okay...why are you hiding pictures of asteroids?" She asked. Tucker shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.

"Well...after the Disasteroid, we set up a monitor about five miles outside of the atmosphere, right above Amity," Tucker said, refusing to meet Sam's eye. "It picks up on anything in space coming too close to Amity."

"Oh." Sam said, her eyes on the folder again. "And those are pictures of..."

"Asteroids that came relatively close to Earth." Tucker finished. "Nothing threatening, but...I just want to be sure nothing like that happens again."

"Is that the only reason you put the monitor up there?" Sam questioned. Tucker glanced up at her.

"No." He admitted. "I want to make sure Vlad doesn't ever come back here."

Sam nodded, her suspicions confirmed. "Seen him since the Disasteroid?"

Tucker opened the folder and flipped through the pictures wordlessly. He was nearing the bottom of the stack when he found whatever he was looking for. Holding the place he pulled the picture from the stack with his fingers, he handed the paper to Sam wordlessly. Sam took it and scanned the image.

Vlad was hovering in midair, his gaze longing and fixated directly on the monitor. He looked ghastly. Any fat he had on Earth was completely gone. His face was emaciated, the skin stretched tight over the bones of his skull. Sam swallowed hard.

"How long ago was this taken?" She asked quietly, her eyes never leaving the image of Vlad.

"About three years ago." Tucker said. Sam could not tear her eyes from Vlad's. He looked haunted, possessed. She swallowed again, shoving the paper across the desk toward Tucker. Tucker took it and filed it away. Sam felt as if her chest was collapsing for a moment; she stared blindly at the folder as Tucker closed it. "Haven't seen him since."

"Good." Sam whispered. She cleared her throat and straightened, one hand finding the key beneath her shirt. Tucker followed her movements with his eyes, suddenly blazing with excitement.

"Did he...?" Tucker pointed to Sam's chest, where her hand still hovered. Sam smiled and pulled at the chain until the necklace rested against her chest on the outside of her shirt. "And you said yes?"

"Obviously." Sam rolled her eyes, unable to contain her glee.

"Congratulations!" He said, standing and crossing to the other side of the desk to pull Sam into a bone-crushing bear hug. Sam laughed when her feet left the floor. "I know he's been planning that for a while, I wish I could have seen him before he left..."

A soft _ding!_ interrupted the quiet. Tucker dropped Sam immediately, diving across his desk toward a sophisticated-looking printer. As Sam watched, it spat a few pictures out on the tray. Tucker lifted them to his face, examining them closely.

"What is it?" Sam asked breathlessly, crossing behind his desk to stand beside him. The pictures were grainy, but Sam was just able to discern an oddly shaped asteroid apparently hurtling through space.

"More asteroids," Tucker sounded relieved. He offered the pages to Sam, who took them. "No big deal."

"It's funny," Sam said, still examining the asteroids. "This one kind of looks like a spaceship." Tucker peered over her shoulder at the asteroid Sam pointed at.

"Huh," He grunted. "You're right."

"Weird." Sam said, shaking her head. She handed the pictures back to Tucker and crossed back to the other side of his desk, stooping to grab her purse. "Well, I should go. Val's gonna want to get ready for the stupid party together."

"Alright," Tucker murmured. He was still staring at the asteroids.

"I'll see you tonight?" Sam asked, pausing by Tucker's office doors.

"Yeah. See you." He said without looking up.


	5. Chapter 5

**Aaaand If I Stay has been updated.**

**You guys are fantastic, really. I love reading the reviews, y'all are so awesome. I'm blown away.**

I'm unbolding this to catch your attention. In this chapter, Danny mentions he's in Lima. NO, NOT LIMA, OHIO. LIMA, PERU. PRONOUNCED LEE-MAH. Y'all Glee geeks chill out.

What am I talking about, I watch Glee. DUH.

**Alright, about the song choice. I can give you guys a bit more of a description now, I think. I don't want to give too much away, though. So hang in there.**

**Something is going to happen to the characters that puts all of them in mortal danger. And when I say all, I'm excluding Danny, Jack, and Maddie Fenton. Everyone else is fair game. In the scene I'm trying to build, Sam is going to feel just a tad overwhelmed for a moment. She's going to pause, breathe, and sort of whisper-sing ONE LINE from a song to herself. Another character will hear her, and together they'll face the source of the danger.**

**For those of you that have seen Across the Universe, it's going to be similar to the scene in which Lucy is trapped in the telephone booth during the riot. She sings a single line from the song Revolution: "It's gonna be alright. Don't you know it's gonna be alright."**

**I'm still checking out all the songs you guys suggested in the reviews, but I will say I've already found two that I really like for the scene. One is Kingdom Come by the Civil Wars: "Don't you fret my dear, it'll all be over soon. I'll be waiting here for you." The other is Holy Diver by Dio: "Race for the morning, you can hide in the sun 'til you see the light. Oh we will pray it's all right." I'm really liking those two. If that gives you a better idea of the scene, I'm still taking suggestions. And again, I'm still looking into the rest of the songs you guys suggested. I had a terribly long work day yesterday and didn't get the chance to really listen to many. I'll be doing that as soon as I update here.**

**I've attempted to respond to most of the reviews you guys have left, but a few are anonymous, so I'll respond to them here:**

**Starving Goat - It's totally not creepy. In this case, I enjoy being cyber stalked. (: Thank you! I feel like this is probably the best I've written so far, and I'm hoping it'll only get better. As for your song choice, Safe and Sound is actually probably the perfect song for the scene I'm planning. But I've already used it in two of my other fics, and I feel like I'll be murdering it if I use it again here. I do love that song, though. And I really wish I hadn't used it before. ): Thanks for the thought, though (:**

**Vick - Well thanks (: I love Mary J Blige. I haven't gotten a chance to listen to that song in particular, though. That's the first thing I'll be doing when I'm done here. (:**

**Alright. I think this is the longest A/N I've ever written. I'll stop now. I don't own Danny Phantom or anything else I mentioned in this chapter that I'm obviously borrowing.**

**Enjoy (:**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Five**

**August 12, 2012**

* * *

"This is stupid." Sam declared. She was sitting at the foot of Valerie's bed, ducking and dodging the random articles of clothing that came soaring out of Valerie's closet. Valerie dragged her back to her bedroom the moment Sam arrived back home and forced her to the foot of her bed. After demanding to know whether Tucker was attending or not and Sam confirming it, Valerie darted to her closet and began to stress over what she would wear to Dash's party. "You know he won't care."

"I want to look good, though!" Valerie's muffled cry made Sam roll her eyes. "Tucker never goes to stuff like this, I want to make him want me!"

"You guys are so dysfunctional." Sam muttered, leaning back on her hands braced on the mattress. "Tucker just needs to ask you out."

"I've been saying that for _three years_!" Valerie appeared, holding a sparkling golden cocktail dress in front of her body, a crazed look in her eye. Sam felt her eyebrows shoot into her hairline. "Too much?" Valerie asked, biting her lip.

"Just a tad," Sam laughed, leaning forward. Valerie groaned, dropping the dress at a pool at her feet.

"I give up!" Valerie said, covering her face with her hands. "I'll just go in a trash bag."

"Just wear what you have on, you look good," Sam said.

Valerie dropped her hands and stared at Sam. "This?" She gestured to her knee-length orange skirt and off-white tank top. "You think I'm gonna impress Tucker in _this_?" She deadpanned.

"Tucker doesn't really care what you're wearing, Val," Sam said gently. Valerie slouched her shoulders and pouted. "He loves you no matter what you're wearing."

"That's why I want to look _extra_ good tonight!" Valerie wailed. "I want him to ask me on a damn _date_! I'm so sick of this beating around the bush crap we've been doing for three years!" Her head drooped and Sam was shocked to see real tears spilling down her face. "You don't understand what it feels like..."

"I do," Sam said, standing to place a consoling hand on Valerie's shoulder. "Do you not remember how long it took me and Danny to stop being stupid and finally admit that we liked each other?"

"You guys only admitted it because you both thought he was gonna die," Valerie sniffled, and Sam sensed the joke. She grimaced at her.

"That's not the only reason..." Sam sighed. "Do you want to borrow something of mine?"

Valerie brightened. "If you don't mind..." She said, hardly concealing her excitement. Sam rolled her eyes.

"Okay...so...do I look alright?" Valerie asked as she emerged from Sam's closet. Sam glanced up from her bed, where she was sprawled on her stomach, reading, and smiled. Valerie looked stunning. Sam's black faux leather mini skirt hugged Valerie's hips perfectly; her blood-red-and-black corset fit Valerie's torso like a second skin. Sam pushed herself up to her knees and whistled approvingly.

"You look hot." Sam said. Valerie blushed.

"You think Tucker's gonna like it?" She asked, nervously smoothing the skirt over her thighs.

Sam laughed one single, barking laugh. "You kidding me?" She scoffed. "He'll have to wire his mouth shut to keep his jaw from hitting the floor." Valerie beamed.

"Thank you!" She cried, pulling Sam into a hug. Sam laughed and hugged her back. Valerie sighed and stepped back, suddenly appraising Sam's appearance. Sam eyed her warily. "What are you gonna wear, then?"

"This," Sam shrugged. Valerie arched an eyebrow.

"Seriously? Your...uniform?" Valerie pointed. "Come on, you have to look _good_ tonight. Paparazzi's gonna be tailing you all night, you've gotta look like you're having fun without Danny!"

"I don't want them to get the impression that Danny and I are broken up, though." Sam said, settling back on her mattress. "They're looking for anything out of the ordinary."

Valerie opened her mouth to retort, but a deafening clap of thunder interrupted her. The lights of their apartment flickered. Sam tensed; usually, thunderstorms did not bother her, but she'd been feeling on edge all day. This was not helping.

"...As I was saying," Valerie said. "You _need_ to look good. You don't have to look like you're having the time of your life and you've forgotten about Danny all together, but you need to look like you're still a functioning human being without him."

"What about these clothes says otherwise?" Sam demanded. She glanced at her purse, hung on the doorknob of her bedroom door, when her phone began to ring.

Valerie sighed in exasperation, turning to Sam's purse and digging through it. She pulled Sam's phone out and briefly read the name on the top of the screen before muttering, "Oh, good."

"Who is it?" Sam asked, her heart in her throat. Valerie ignored her.

"Hey, Danny." Valerie answered the phone. Sam lunged off the bed and sprang on Valerie, who twisted away deftly. "It's Val. Hold on, I'm gonna put you on speaker. As soon as Sam GETS _OFF_ ME!"

"Give me my phone!" Sam shouted. Valerie hooked her arm around Sam's waist and yanked. Sam yelped and crashed to the floor, blinking up at Valerie in confusion at the sudden act of gravity. Valerie smirked and hit a button on the screen.

" - was that?" Danny's voice came from the phone's tiny speaker.

"I had to go all kung-fu on Sam's ass 'cause she wouldn't get off me." Valerie said, still smirking. "She's on the floor now."

"Hey, don't do that." Danny said, his voice laced with amusement and disapproval.

"You can't tell me what to do." Valerie taunted.

Sam scrambled to her feet and snatched the phone out of Valerie's hand. "Hey, D," Sam said, glaring at Valerie.

"Hey, love." She spun away from Valerie and smiled. "What're you guys doing?"

"Getting ready to go to a party," Valerie called. Sam shot a scathing glare at her roommate over her shoulder, before dropping on her bed. She crossed her legs.

"Yeah." Sam said as Valerie crawled onto the opposite end of Sam's bed.

"Oh, cool. Who's throwing it?"

"Dash." Even Valerie rolled her eyes at his name.

"Oh." Danny's voice changed. Sam frowned at the disapproval she heard. "Uh..."

"Val?" Sam whispered. Valerie gazed at her for a moment, before she understood.

"I'm gonna go find shoes," She announced, sliding off Sam's bed and slipping to the door. She closed it behind herself, effectively sealing Sam in.

"She's gone." Sam said, switching her phone off speaker and pressing it to her ear.

"I don't know how I feel about you going to Dash's...with Valerie..." Danny said carefully.

Sam rolled her eyes. "I know she's a handful, but -"

"No, no. I'm not really worried about Valerie getting drunk or whatever. I know you can handle that easily. I just...I'm worried about what might happen to _you_ since I'm not there."

Sam felt a surge of annoyance in the back of her throat. "I can handle myself after a few drinks, D." She said, trying to keep the shortness she felt out of her voice.

"That's not what I'm talking about," Danny said, his voice still cautious. "I just...I've seen the way some of those guys look at you after _they've_ had a few drinks. And I _really_ don't like it."

Sam sighed. "Tucker's going, too." She said, pinching the bridge of her nose with her free hand.

"Oh." He said, his voice considerably lighter. "Well, then. That's different. Okay, cool."

Sam sighed again. "I'll be careful." She muttered, feeling an odd sense of defeat.

"Hey. I'm not trying to suggest that you can't take every single one of those guys out blindfolded with both hands tied behind your back. I just...I can't help it, Sam. I worry. I would worry if I was there. I'm extra worried because I'm not there." Sam heard the sounds of sheets rubbing against each other as Danny moved. "I don't like the idea of something happening while I'm not there."

"You have such a hero complex," Sam said, smiling. She heard Danny chuckle. "How long do you have to talk?"

"A few minutes," Danny said offhandedly. Sam wondered how long he was keeping people waiting by partaking in this phone call. "I'm not worried, I've got all the time in the world."

"How was your flight?" She asked, leaning back against her pillows.

"I slept for most of it." She heard him yawn. "But now I'm in Lima and I'm desperately wishing you were here with me."

"Really?" Sam breathed, knowing where he was going with his conversation change.

"Yep," He said. The sheets rustled again. "You would be laying right here with me in this giant, king-sized bed."

"Hmmm,"

"And d'you know what we'd be doing right now, if you were here?"

Sam bit her lip. "What?"

"Well, I'd -"

"Sam!" Valerie burst through her bedroom door. Danny paused, listening to Valerie as well. "You should see the rain outside, it's unbelievable!"

"Val, I'm kind of in the middle of a phone call," Sam said, raising her eyebrows significantly. Valerie rolled her eyes.

"You guys can have phone sex later, we're gonna drown if we don't leave now." Valerie pranced into the room and yanked Sam's phone out of her hand. She switched the phone back to speaker. "Danny, I'm sorry. I'm pulling the roommate card. We have a party we need to get to and it's pouring outside. Sam's still not dressed, and -"

"Sam's not dressed?" Danny asked, his voice laced with innuendo. "Sounds like a party I'd like to go to!"

"Get over it, perv," Valerie said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"I still don't know what's wrong with what I'm wearing right now!" Sam huffed. She scrambled out of bed and made to snatch her phone from Valerie, who twisted it out of her reach yet again.

"Please," Valerie said. "Would you wear that if _Danny_ were here?"

"I've been wearing this since the eighth grade!"

"My point exactly!" Valerie said, grinning in triumph. "I saw all the clothes you have in there, it's time to switch it up a little bit!"

"Not too much," Danny's voice rang with alarm. "I like the way she dresses now."

"That's because you haven't seen what else is in her closet." Valerie informed him, stepping into the room in question and scanning the hangers. Sam groaned as Valerie tapped the phone against her chin thoughtfully. "What about this?"

She was displaying a backless floor-length black gown, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Sam gaped at her.

"What, am I having dinner with the president?" She grumbled. Valerie laughed and replaced the dress.

"I feel like this conversation would be a lot easier to understand if I was there," Danny announced. Valerie rolled her eyes and ignored him, still skimming through Sam's clothes.

"Oh, this! Wear this, please!" Valerie pleaded, yanking a sky-blue blouse off of the rack. Sam grimaced at it. "Come on! It's got black lace around the edges, and it's the same color as Danny's eyes!"

"You have clothes that are the color of my eyes?" Danny asked incredulously. Sam rolled her eyes.

"Valerie..." She moaned.

"Come on. This is the perfect compromise! It would make you look sexy, but since it's the same color as Danny's eyes, it shows the paparazzi that you haven't completely forgotten about him. Just like you said earlier!"

"You forgot about me?" Danny asked, mock hurt.

"Oh, fine! If it'll get you to shut up, I'll wear the stupid blouse!" Valerie squealed excitedly. "But only under one condition!" Valerie froze. "I get to wear my black shorts with it."

Valerie nodded emphatically, darting out of the closet. She flung the blouse at Sam as she raced to the drawers Sam stored her shorts in, digging through them quickly until she found the black cargo shorts Sam spoke of.

"Get dressed, we're leaving in five." She thrust the shorts and the phone into Sam's arms. "Bye Danny!"

"See ya, Val," Danny chuckled. The door clicked shut behind Valerie. "She's a character."

"You can say that again," Sam grumbled. She tossed the shorts and her phone on her bed and stripped out of her shirt. "Actually, she's closer to a demon."

"But she loves you," Danny said softly. "Not as much as I do, but...you know..."

Sam gazed down at the phone longingly as she pulled the blouse over her head. "I miss you," She murmured.

"I miss you, too," Danny said, his voice shaking. "I wish you didn't have to work..."

Sam bit her lip guiltily. "Me, too,"

Danny sighed. "I should let you go, before Valerie comes back..."

Sam looked down, choosing to focus on yanking her shorts up instead of the way Danny's voice made her want to cry. "Are you gonna watch tonight?"

"Of course." Sam said quietly as she buttoned the shorts. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Good. Good." Danny paused. "Are you still wearing the necklace?"

"Of course. I haven't taken it off once." She touched it as she spoke.

"Good. God, I love you..."

"I love you, too, D."

"Alright. You need to go. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. Bye,"

"Wait, Sam!"

Sam paused, her finger inches from the end call button. "Yeah?"

"Send me a picture of you in that shirt. I'm curious."

She laughed. "Bye, D."

She stayed on the edge of her bed for several moments after she hung up, willing herself not to cry. She gritted her teeth. _Stop being such a pansy_. She stood and stalked to her bedroom door, snatching her purse off the doorknob as she passed and shoving her phone roughly inside. She stomped up the hallway and turned into the living room sharply, where Valerie was waiting. She raised an eyebrow at Sam's behavior, but said nothing.

"Ready?" Valerie asked and she shut the front door of their apartment behind her.

Sam sighed. The rain was much louder in the hallway outside of their apartment; it pounded against the roof mercilessly. Sam could already feel a migraine forming just behind her eyes.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index finger again.

"You'd better hope so..." The Voice hissed in her ear.

* * *

**...and the A/N continues.**

**I bet half of you guys aren't even reading this. Ha.**

**I really wanted to fit Dash's party into this chapter, but the characters were like "Nope. We're gonna do this instead." And every time I tried to steer them toward Dash's party, they flipped me off and did their own thing.**

**So Dash's party will be in the next chapter. I hope.**

**Um, one other thing. I set up a poll on my profile 1839108327 years ago. I'd really appreciate it if you guys could go vote. It takes like 30 seconds and then you can move on with your lives, I swear. Please?**

**That's all I got.**

**Remember, I'm still taking song suggestions. If you have a song you think fits the scene I described above, let me know either via review or PM. You'll get credit for the idea.**

**Thanks for reading. (:**

**- Tori**


	6. Chapter 6

**I hammered this chapter out in less than an hour.**

**LESS THAN AN HOUR. WHAT THE HELL. I'M UNTOUCHABLE RIGHT NOW. YES. YES.**

**Okay, I'm done.**

**To the song challenge: In the 24 hours since my last update, I've caught up with a few of those song suggestions you guys made. Not all of them. I'm gonna list my favorites so far. If you don't see your choice, please don't get offended. Chances are, I haven't gotten to yours yet. Some shit happened last night and I didn't get to spend as much time going through them as I originally planned. However, shit has passed and I believe the entire rest of my night is open to song stalking.**

**Here are the finalists so far:**

**Kingdom Come - The Civil Wars  
"Don't you fret my dear, it'll all be over soon. I'll be waiting here for you."**

**Leave Out All The Rest - Linkin Park  
"When my time comes, forget the wrong that I've done, help me leave behind some reasons to be missed."**

**Let It Be - The Beatles  
"Whisper words of wisdom, let it be."**

**Who Am I Living For? - Katy Perry  
"This test is my own cross to bear, but I will get there."**

**Eyes Wide Open - Taylor Swift  
"Everybody's waiting...everybody's watching...even when you're sleeping...keep your eye-eyes open."**

**Holy Diver - Dio  
"Race for the morning, you can hide in the sun 'til you see the light. Oh, we will pray it's all right."**

**I Will Not Bow - Breaking Benjamin  
"I will not bow, I will not break, I will shut the world away. I will not fall, I will not fade, I will take your breath away."**

**So. There's that. I still have quite a few more songs to go through, and I'm still open to suggestions. Hopefully those finalists give you and even better idea of what I'm looking for. Oh, and thank you for taking this seriously. I haven't gotten one single stupid song yet. I'm hoping to keep it that way.**

**I can't think of anything else to say, other than I don't own Danny Phantom.**

**On with the show.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Six**

**August 13, 2012**

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Valerie said sharply. Sam whipped around to face her.

"You heard it, too?" She asked. For some reason, Sam could not get her teeth to stop clattering together.

"Oh, yeah," Valerie said. She grabbed Sam's wrist and pulled her back, dropping into a defensive crouch. Sam blinked in confusion._ Why does everyone think I can't take care of myself?_ "Either show your ugly face or get the hell out of here." Valerie growled, her eyes darting around the empty hallway.

The Voice did not reply. Sam shook her head, pulling her wrist from Valerie's hand. "Let's just go," She grumbled, turning to walk down the other end of the hall. Valerie trotted after her, still throwing furious glances over her shoulder. Sam rolled her eyes.

They ran from the building to Sam's car, Valerie squealing the whole way. Sam could not help but laugh a little at her roommate; Valerie heaved several dramatic sighs as she wrang her hair out once in Sam's car. Sam pulled out of the parking lot, windshield wipers on high. The rain was falling so heavily that she was having a hard time seeing further than a few feet; she gripped the steering wheel so hard her knuckles turned white. She briefly pictured Danny's face as she pulled onto the main road.

Thankfully, the majority of Amity Park chose not to venture out on that night, so the roads were mostly clear. It took the girls an extra ten minutes to reach Dash's apartment, though.

"You drive like _such_ a _grandma_," Valerie complained as they pulled into the parking garage. Sam rolled her eyes at her.

"We're still five minutes early." Sam pointed out, glancing at the digital clock on her dashboard. Valerie waved her hand dismissively. "Hey, what was with the shielding me thing earlier?"

Valerie turned in her seat, staring blankly at Sam. "What're you talking about?"

"Earlier. When we heard the voice? You pulled me behind you, like a human shield." Sam pulled her keys out of the ignition, her eyes still on Valerie.

"What about it?"

Sam raised an eyebrow pointedly. "Since when do _you_ act like I can't kick a ghost's ass? You did see what I did to the Box Ghost earlier, right?"

Valerie swallowed, her face frozen in that same blank expression. Sam could practically see the gears in Valerie's mind turning as she struggled to come up with an excuse. "I just...I remembered how freaked out you were by it, so I was, you know...trying to protect you?" She knit her brow.

"Okay. But, really, why?"

Valerie sighed and closed her eyes. "A few days ago...Danny asked me to...keep an eye on you while he's out of town."

Sam felt a wave of some unidentifiable emotion sweep over her. She stared blindly down at her lap, infinitesimally aware that she was twisting her keys between her fingers compulsively. _So Danny wants Valerie to take care of me?_

"Who does he think he is?" Sam muttered.

"Um, your boyfriend?" Valerie said sharply. "The world's hero? A half-ghost with an extreme hero complex? Sam," Valerie snatched Sam's keys out of her hands, forcing Sam to look up. "You're honestly surprised he asked me to do this?"

"No," Sam muttered. Tears were springing up in her eyes despite her anger. "But I don't understand why he thinks I can't take care of myself."

"He doesn't think that," Valerie said, shaking her head. "He knows you're strong. Hell, he knows you can take his ass out if you wanted to. He just...he can't stand the idea of you getting hurt while he's not here," Sam looked down, chewing on the inside of her cheek. "He knows that nothing's gonna happen to you. He asked me to make himself feel better more than anything else."

Sam huffed. "Doesn't mean he has the right to pass me off to you," She muttered. "It's not like I need a babysitter."

It was Valerie's turn to roll her eyes. "Whatever," She said, bending to grab their purses off the floor of Sam's car. "Just be thankful that you have someone out there who cares enough to do something like that for you."

Sam felt a wave of guilt. "Sorry," She mumbled, taking her purse from Valerie's outstretched hand.

Valerie waved her off. "Don't be. Hopefully, by the end of the night, I'll be able to say the same thing about myself." She eyed Sam thoughtfully, before leaning forward and pulling the scrunchie out of Sam's hair. "You look better with all of your hair down."

* * *

Two hours later, Sam was ready to kill Tucker.

_He promised_, she thought as she seethed over a Solo cup half-full of some foaming liquid. Sam sipped at it and grimaced at the burning sensation at the back of her throat. _And where is he?_

_NOT HERE._

She pulled her phone from her pocket, glaring at a couple that raced by her spot against the counter of Dash's kitchen. Girls were squealing and boys shouting, guffawing over some stupid football game they threw together in the rain. She had no missed calls or unread texts. Tucker blew her off.

She growled and swiped her bangs out of her face frustratedly. Valerie vanished the moment she realized Tucker was not coming; Sam thought she may have seen her slipping into a closet with one of Dash's college football buddies Sam briefly met. She gritted her teeth.

"Alright, alright!" Dash shouted. He seemed to appear out of no where, throwing his hands up in an effort to catch the party-goers attention. He was having a hard time with it, though; there were nearly fifty people crammed into his apartment alone, quite a few more milling about in the hallway just outside the front door. "Everyone shut up!"

"H-hey Sam," A voice said in her ear. Sam turned and grimaced at Kwan, who was leaning against the counter just a bit too close to Sam. He grinned stupidly and hiccuped.

"Kwan," She said curtly. Usually, she liked Kwan, but he was weird when he was drunk. Not outright flirtatious, but...a bit _more_ than friendly.

"Why're you over here all 'lone?" He asked, his goofy grin falling into a concerned gaze. Well, as concerned as one could possibly be while completely hammered.

"Go home, Kwan. You're drunk." Sam muttered, wrinkling her nose at the smell of alcohol on his breath. Kwan giggled and tapped her nose with his index finger before stumbling out of the kitchen. Sam watched him sink back into the crowd before turning her attention back to Dash, who appeared to have made little progress in quieting the party down.

Sam rolled her eyes. She pushed herself up on the counter so that she was standing. "EVERYBODY SHUT THE HELL UP!" She screamed. They fell silent at once, every eye landing on her. She glared back at them defiantly. "Listen to Dash or so help me, God, I will unleash Skulker on _all_ of your asses!"

"Thanks, Sam," Dash said. He was grinning at her. She grinned and nodded back. "Alright, the Disasteroid celebration is about to kick off, so I'm gonna turn on the opening ceremonies in this room. If y'all wanna watch, you have to shut up. If not, get out." Dash pointed at the hall. "I don't care where you go, and if you come back afterwards, that's cool. But you can't be in here if you're gonna be acting like a dick."

A few of the more drunk party-goers filed out, stumbling into each other and laughing boisterously, but most of the party stayed. People readjusted themselves to get a better view of the television as Dash fiddled with the remote. Sam sat on the counter, crossing her legs beneath herself. She felt her heart throb with excitement at the prospect of seeing Danny again, momentarily forgetting about her annoyance with him.

"- and welcome to the show!" A masculine voice cried from the speakers. Dash paused, his eyes on the screen. Sam was just able to discern the very top of a marble Danny Phantom statue at sunset over Dash's broad shoulder. "We'll be covering the kick-off to the five-year anniversary of the day Danny Fenton, better known as Danny Phantom, saved the planet from complete destruction."

"Why don't we start off tonight by going through the whirlwind life young Mr. Fenton has lead in the five years since the Disasteroid?" A feminine voice asked. Dash settled on the couch, allowing Sam to see the entire television screen. She scene shifted from a live shot of the Danny Phantom statue in Lima to a picture of 15-year-old Danny sitting in his kitchen behind a pile of text books. "This picture was taken just days before the entire world learned of his secret identity. He's mentioned in interviews that even his parents were unaware of his secret life; only his two best friends, who were apparently present during the accident that gave him his powers, and his sister knew of his secret."

The scene shifted to an old interview Danny gave about a year after the Disasteroid. "It was kind of hard, at first," Danny said, shrugging. "But I got through it."

"Who would you say helped you the most?" The interviewer asked.

Danny furrowed his brow. "I don't think there was one person who helped me more than anyone else," He said thoughtfully. "I mean, I got a lot of help from a lot of different people. Most of them didn't even realize they were helping me. But, uh...I guess, my sister, Jazz, was really helpful. I could go to her for anything, and she didn't judge me. Well, she did. But she kept it to herself," Danny laughed nervously. "And my best friend, Tucker. He was always there for me. We hardly ever fought, which is rare for best friends. He always kept things light, reminded me not to take myself too seriously." His eyes slid out of focus and he nodded. "And my other best friend, Sam."

The interviewer shifted in her seat, leaning toward Danny pointedly. "I understand that Sam's a bit more than a best friend now, isn't she?"

Danny blushed. "Yeah," He said, smiling widely. "I mean, she's still my best friend, but...yeah,"

"There are girls all over the world swooning over you," The interviewer commented. "so trust me when I say that people want to know what it is about Sam that makes you love her?"

Danny's adam's apple bobbed. "Uh..." He said, glancing down at his lap. Even four years later, Sam felt her heart flutter at his anxiety. It was the first interview Danny ever spoke about their relationship in. A few of the party-goers were glancing at Sam, smiling knowingly at her. She did her best to ignore them and appear absorbed in the old interview. "I guess...I don't know. She's my best friend, and...she knows me. She knows every little thing about me, and she cares about me in spite of them. She's smart, she's funny, she's pretty..." He trailed, his face flushing an even deeper scarlet. "She just _gets_ me. More than anyone else I've ever known, she gets me. Not to mention, she throws a _mean_ right hook,"

The interview cut off, the screen changing to show two news anchors sitting behind a desk smiling at the camera. "That she does," the male anchor said, his mega-watt smile still plastered across his face as he turned to his female anchor. "She spent quite a few years helping Danny Phantom fighting ghosts in their home town, did she not?"

"Phantom has gone on record as saying that Samantha Manson is the only human being he knows that could 'kick his butt,'" The female anchor trilled.

"I thought we were talking about Danny?" Sam muttered. Sympathetic gazes shot her direction.

"Now, I understand that Miss Manson is not with Danny tonight?" The female anchor asked as the screen toggled back to the live shot of the Lima statue.

"No, she is not." The male anchor said. "Rumors of infidelity sprang up in the wake of that discovery, but the couple was quick to squash them. I guess they both needed a little time apart!"

Sam frowned.

"Oh, there he is now!" The female anchor squealed. Danny appeared from behind a large curtain, smiling and waving to the crowd. The Peruvians were screaming hysterically as he crossed the makeshift stage toward the president. Something around Danny's wrist caught Sam's eye.

"Is...is that...is he wearing my lucky bracelet?" She asked. She scrambled off the counter and dove toward the television. There was definitely something purple around his wrist. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and started a new text.

_**Is that my lucky bracelet on your wrist right now?**_

She watched Danny closely, hardly daring to breathe. He was still smiling at the crowd before his expression faltered. He touched his pocket with his hand, pulling his phone out. Sam watched as he opened her text. His eyes darted across the screen before he threw his head back and laughed. He shoved his phone back in his pocket and raised his right arm and waved, displaying Sam's bracelet to the world. She laughed.

"That _bitch_!" She cried, falling backwards onto the floor. The other party-goers laughed appreciatively.

* * *

"C'mon, Val," Sam pleaded.

"No," Valerie slurred. They were standing in the parking garage - or, rather, Sam was standing. Valerie was sitting on her ass, her legs bent at awkward angles before her. Sam sighed in frustration. It took nearly twenty minutes for Sam to convince Valerie to get off Dash's bed and get her to the car, just to have Valerie plop down five feet away and refuse to budge.

"Valerie, it's two in the morning," Sam moaned. "I want to go to sleep. Please, can we go?"

"Why din't Tuck come?" She whispered, clutching at her purse. "I...I dressed all _pretty_ for 'im...an' he din't even _show up_!" She finished in an exasperated whisper and threw her arms over her head and hiccuped. Sam was reminded of her two-year-old cousin.

"I know you did," Sam said. She tapped her foot impatiently on the concrete, before an idea suddenly came to her. "Hey, what if I told you that if you come with me, I'll take you to Tucker? How does that sound?"

Valerie squinted up at her as if she did not recognize Sam. "'Kay," She said a moment later, thrusting her hand up toward Sam. Sam rolled her eyes and took Valerie's hand, yanking her up to a standing position. She made sure Valerie was strapped into the passenger's side before crossing to the driver's seat.

"At least the rain stopped," Sam muttered as they pulled out. Valerie did not respond; she was staring out the window, looking utterly bemused by the street lights they passed under.

"Are there _fairies_ up there?" She whispered, pointing at the street lights. Sam snorted.

"No."

"Oh." She looked back out the window. "Where are we?"

"We're going to Danny's apartment." Sam sighed.

"Oh. Who's Danny?"

Sam briefly closed her eyes. "Be quiet, Valerie."

"'Kay."

She pulled into the parking lot of Danny's apartment, pulling into the space beside his car. She climbed out slowly, not looking forward to getting Valerie up the stairs. She ran her hand along the side of Danny's car as she passed it.

"O-kay, Val," Sam said once they were inside. She kept her arm firmly around Valerie's waist as she locked the door behind them and set the alarm. "You're gonna sleep on the couch in here, okay?"

"Where's my bed?" Valerie asked in alarm.

"At our apartment. This is Danny's apartment. Remember?"

"Yeah, yeah..." She muttered, tottering off toward the couch. Sam watched her closely until she flopped across the cushions, before turning into the kitchen. She grabbed the small waste can out from beneath Danny's sink and placed it right beside Valerie's already sleeping face. As quietly as she could, she crept into his bathroom and dug through his cabinets until she found his stash of asprin. She even found a half-full bottle of Pepto. She snuck back into the living room and placed the medicines on the coffee table beside Valerie. Sam gazed down at her for a moment longer before shaking her head and turning toward Danny's bedroom.

She stripped down to her underwear and pulled a fresh shirt out of Danny's drawer. She pulled it over her head, inhaling deeply as she did. Her earlier annoyance with him vanished immediately, leaving a dull ache in the pit of her stomach. Danny was already on the plane again, heading toward Paris. He would be in Rome by the following night, where he would have at least a few hours to talk. But until then, snuggling down in his bed while wearing his shirt was as close as Sam could get to him.

She pulled the sheets up around herself before rolling to her side and grabbing her phone. She sent a quick text to Danny informing him that she made it to his apartment safely with Valerie, and that she could not wait to see him again. She bit her lip after she sent the message, scrolling through her inbox. Tucker never contacted her. She felt slightly concerned about it, but she knew she would just talk to him about it in the morning.

It was the last peaceful night of sleep Sam experienced for a while.

* * *

**LESS THAN ONE HOUR, PEOPLE. BOW DOWN BEFORE ME.**

**PS that whole Valerie-being-drunk-situation? Deffffinitely happened to me once. A few weeks ago, actually. Boy, she had one HELL of a hangover the next morning.**

**LOLGOODTIMES.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the delay in updates, I had two night shifts at B&N.**

**And by night shifts, I mean until midnight.**

**I was poooooooped.**

**But I got off at 8 tonight and I've been working on this ever since.**

**This chapter is shorter than I originally wanted it to be, but it functions fairly well. Things finally start happening in this chapter, after six chapters of setting the groundwork. Hopefully it gives some of you more cautious readers a taste of what is to come.**

**To the song.**

**I stopped getting suggestions, so I'm officially declaring these to be the finalists:**

**Kingdom Come - The Civil Wars  
Leave Out All The Rest - Linkin Park  
Let It Be - The Beatles  
Who Am I Living For? - Katy Perry  
Holy Diver - Dio  
Eyes Wide Open - Taylor Swift  
I Will Not Bow - Breaking Benjamin**

**I'm about to go set up a poll on my profile. If you're interested, go ahead and head over there to vote for your favorite. I'll leave the poll open until I'm finished with the chapter the song will be in. The song with the most votes will win. I'll be sure to remind you guys to vote in the A/N of each chapter.**

**FYI, to those of you who are younger and reading this (VERY STRONG) T-rated piece, I drop the 'F-bomb' in this chapter. This is the first time I've ever dropped the bomb in any of my fanfics, but it kind of works. You'll see. You've been warned.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom or anything else you recognize in this chapter.**

**That's all, folks.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Seven**

**August 17, 2012**

* * *

Sam woke the next morning to the sounds of Valerie vomitting in the next room. She grimaced and rolled to her back, staring at the ceiling. Valerie groaned.

"What the _fuck_ was in that _punch_?" She moaned to no one in particular.

Sam sighed and reluctantly crawled out of Danny's bed. His apartment was freezing, as usual; he had no sense of temperature ever since his ice powers kicked in. She shivered and scuttled to the thermostat, turning the temperature up to 76 degrees. The whirring of the air conditioner shut off immediately.

Sam cautiously pushed Danny's bedroom door open. She spotted Valerie hunched over the trashcan, her head hung in misery. Sam flinched when Valerie's stomach flipped again.

"I don't know what was in that punch..." Sam said quietly as Valerie finished. The girl peered over her shoulder at Sam, her eyes bloodshot and face covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

"Whatever it was, it's kicking my _ass_." Valerie rasped. She turned back to the trashcan as Sam ventured out of Danny's bedroom. Sam spotted the medicines she laid out the night before sitting untouched on the table before Valerie.

"I put those out for you," Sam commented. Valerie glanced at the table blindly, before turning her head back to the trashcan.

"I don't think I can hold anything down just yet," She grunted. Sam nodded and set about to the kitchen to make coffee, which seemed to be the only beverage that soothed Valerie's hangovers. "Feels like moonshine!" Valerie gasped as her stomach turned again. "I hate moonshine!"

"I know you do," Sam snickered in the kitchen. "I'll text Dash and ask him what was in there."

"Stop yelling..." Valerie moaned into the trashcan as Sam walked by. Sam shook her head, but said nothing.

Just as Sam was reaching for her phone, it began to ring. Sam groaned at the sight of her mother's name on the screen, but she sighed and hit the 'answer' button.

"Hey, mom," Sam said, settling on Danny's bed and crossing her legs.

"Sammy, darling," Her mother cooed. Sam rolled her eyes. "How are you?"

"M'alright," Sam shrugged as Valerie began to retch in the other room.

"Did you have fun at your little party last night?"

"How did you know I was going to a party?"

"Why, it was in this morning's paper!" Her mother trilled with laughter. _Of _course_ it was_, Sam thought. "Well, did you have fun?"

"Yeah, it was a blast," Sam muttered, picking at Danny's comforter aimlessly.

"Wonderful! Oh, I'm so glad!" The sad thing was, Sam knew her mother really was glad. Glad that her only child finally made friends outside of Danny and Tucker, who she still subconsciously thought of as hooligans. "Well, I was calling to ask what your lunch plans are?"

"Um..." She was due in at work at 10, but she would be out by noon. Rachel just hired a new employee, a girl named Tessa. She wanted Sam out so Tessa would not get distracted. Still, Sam considered lying, as the prospect of lunch with her mother - or even worse, her parents - was far from appealing. "Nothing," Sam blurted before she could stop herself.

"Oh, fantastic! How would you feel to a steak, on us, of course?"

"And us refers to you and dad?"

"Of course, love."

"...yeah, okay. Where?"

"The airport! Your father and I are about to leave for a three-week trip to Athens, isn't that exciting?"

"Mother, you realize that the airport is over an hour away?" Sam asked, unable to keep her voice from rising. "You want me to drive almost three hours round-trip to have lunch with you and Daddy?"

"We'll cover your gas bill!" Her mother trilled. "Don't worry about - ...oh, look, there's Jack and Maddie! Sam, did you know the Fentons were going to be here?"

"They're going to Rome for a ghost convention," Sam muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. Distantly, she heard her father greeting the Fentons excitedly. "Mom, I'm not gonna drive all the way out there for lunch, I'll just meet you guys when you get back from Athens."

"Oh, drat! They couldn't stop to chat, dear, they're late for their flight. Better hurry!" She heard her mother calling after the Fentons. "Your gate is down that way quite a bit!"

"_Mother_!" Sam cried sharply. She heard Valerie moan in the other room. "Did you hear me?"

"Oh, no, my love, I didn't. What did you say?"

Sam sighed. "I'm not gonna drive all the way out there for lunch. I have work. I'll just meet up with you guys after you get back from Athens. Okay?"

"Well...I suppose that's alright. Yes. Yes, of course it's alright. We'll see you in three weeks!" Her mother sang. Before Sam could respond, the line went dead.

"Gah!" Sam shouted.

"Shut up!" Valerie snarled.

Sam rolled her eyes and glanced back down at her phone. The blinking 'New Voicemail' icon caught her eye. She arched an eyebrow as she dialed her voicemail.

"Sam, it's Tuck. Call me back as soon as you get this. Actually, don't call back. Just...come up to city hall. This is a nine-one-one. I've already gotten you out of work. Please, please, _please_ hurry. Bring Val."

Sam gulped and replayed the message. Tucker sounded extremely stressed, to the point of panicked. The hairs on the back of Sam's neck stood on end. There's no way this can be good.

"C'mon, Val, we've gotta go." Sam said as she breezed through the living room. Valerie squinted up at Sam as Sam poured a mug of coffee into one of Danny's travel mugs.

"Where're we going?" She asked as Sam sat the mug down on the coffee table.

"City Hall." Sam answered. She slipped back into Danny's room and tugged the bottom drawer of his chest of drawers open. She kept a few extra sets of clothes in his apartment for when she slept over. She yanked black shorts and a shirt on hurriedly, shoving her phone in her back pocket and scooping up an extra outfit for Valerie.

Valerie made little progress while Sam was in Danny's bedroom. She made it as far as setting the trashcan down before a powerful headache surged behind her eyes. Sam came into the living room to find Valerie collapsed against the cushions of Danny's couch, clutching at her pulsating temples. Valerie's eyes were tightly shut, her mouth pulled into a pained snarl.

"Oh God..." She muttered. Sam sighed.

"Val, we need to go. It's an emergency."

"Please stop screaming..."

Sam sighed again. "Take the asprin and the coffee and let's go!"

* * *

Ten minutes later, the girls were finally in Sam's car. Valerie was alternating between tugging at Sam's shirt, which was just a smidge too small for her, and shooting aggravated glances at Sam.

"At least the sun's not out," She muttered as Sam pulled out of the parking lot. The skies were still cluttered with clouds, thunder rolling in the distance. Fat, angry raindrops splattered against Sam's windshield, but it was not raining in earnest yet. Valerie leaned forward and seized the auxiliary hook-up cable connected to Sam's radio.

"Hey -!" Sam started to protest.

"I have the hangover._ I_ get to pick the music." Valerie hissed. Sam rolled her eyes, but said nothing. Valerie turned on some slow Taylor Swift song, one that made Sam's skin crawl, but Sam remained silent. She had forced Valerie to listen to plenty of Panic! At The Disco and Breaking Benjamin while she recovered from hangovers. She could put up with a little Taylor Swift.

Mercifully, they only made it through one song before Sam was pulling into her parking space at City Hall. She tried not to gloat as Valerie ripped her phone off of the cable furiously.

* * *

"You look ridiculous." Sam muttered as they walked through the entrance to City Hall. Valerie managed to find a gigantic pair of sunglasses in her purse, the lenses of which took up half of her face, and was wearing them. Indoors.

"I don't give a shit." Valerie mumbled. "M'hungover and I'm going to see the dude that stood me up last night. Eff all y'all." She said the last sentence loud enough for the few people walking through the entryway to look around, looking offended. Valerie turned her nose up and stormed toward the elevator, leaving a red-faced Sam apologizing and trailing along behind her.

"Did they look stressed to you?" Sam asked once inside the elevator. Valerie peered at her over the top of her sunglasses.

"I dunno, I wasn't looking at them." She sniffed. Sam rolled her eyes. The City Hall workers did look flustered, at least. Or maybe Sam was just imagining that.

She was leaning more toward the workers actually being flustered when she stepped out of the elevator on the third floor. A flurry of activity seemed to be rooted right outside of Tucker's office door. People Sam had never seen before were shifting about anxiously, before being handed a paper and taking off in some odd direction. Sam glanced back at Valerie to see her eyes widening behind her sunglasses.

"Would it be possible to tell them to stop talking until we walk by?" Valerie muttered. Sam ignored her and walked toward the office doors.

She spotted Marcus standing behind the receptionist's desk, his back against the wall, his eyes wide in panic as he took in the scene before him. Sam craned around one particularly beefy City Hall worker and spotted the very top of Harvey's head. He appeared to be buried in a mountain of paperwork.

"Harv?" Sam called hesitantly. Every single person standing at the reception desk whipped around at her voice. A few narrowed their eyes at her, but most forced smiles. Sam was certain she could see the alarm in each of their eyes.

"He's waiting for you." Harvey said, his voice tight. Sam nodded and skirted around the City Hall workers, who were turned back toward Harvey. Sam swore she heard one of the employees asking for the disaster awareness memo before Tucker's office doors closed behind her.

Tucker had his back to the door. He was standing, hunched over the printer that spat out the asteroid pictures just a day before. He glanced around at the sound of their entrance. His eyes widened in relief when he recognized Sam.

"Finally!" He exclaimed as Sam and Valerie approached. Valerie groaned.

"Hangover," Sam muttered as Tucker arched an eyebrow. "What's the problem?"

"Remember the picture that came yesterday when you were here?" Tucker asked, pulling a drawer open. Sam nodded. "Remember how you said it looked like a spaceship?"

"Yeah..." Sam said slowly. Tucker pulled the red envelope out of the drawer and slapped it down on his desk. He flipped it open and pulled the picture in question out.

"Well, after you left, some new pictures came in." Tucker said. He pulled a few more pictures out. The asteroid appeared to be hurtling directly toward the monitor, but the closer it got, the less it looked like an asteroid. What appeared at first to be a rough, rocky surface became sleeker and shinier. Finally, Sam reached a picture in which the asteroid/spaceship looked as if it were not five feet from the monitor. Sam was able to discern a row of tinted windows, and beyond that, dim outlines of...

"Are those aliens?" Sam whispered. Valerie peered over her shoulder.

"We don't know yet." Tucker admitted. "But there's one more picture that came in right after that one." Tucker handed the girls a new picture. Sam felt her heart turn to ice.

Vlad was smirking directly into the camera. He was so close to the monitor that his face took up the entire shot. His eyes gleamed, his mouth pulled into a snarl, his grin manic. Sam looked to Tucker as Valerie yanked the picture out of Sam's hands.

"That's...that's..." She stuttered.

"I know," Tucker said grimly. "Right after that picture was taken, we got an error message from the monitor. Vlad blasted it to pieces."

"So...so where is he?" Sam asked shrilly. From the corner of her eye, she could see Valerie wincing at the pitch of her voice, but Sam did not care. Terror raced through her veins.

"At this point...we don't know." Tucker admitted.

"What do you mean, _you don't know_?" Sam shouted as Tucker dropped into his computer chair. "We've got a picture of the world's number one enemy, the only human being to ever be _banished from Earth_, hovering outside of the atmosphere, but _we don't know where he is now_?"

"It's not like we aren't looking for him!" Tucker said, rubbing his forehead. Rain was pelting against the windows, Sam realized. It was adding to the tension, much to her annoyance. "We've been looking all night!"

"All night?" Sam repeated, her voice low. "When was this picture taken?"

Tucker winced. "Um...eleven o'clock."

Sam staggered backwards until the backs of her knees hit something solid. She collapsed into a chair. "Nine hours?" She whispered in horror. "He's been on the loose for nine hours?"

Tucker grimaced. "We weren't sure." He said softly. "We got the error message around then, but we weren't sure if it was a technical difficulty or what. We didn't realize the monitor was destroyed until about one AM."

"He's here, Tucker." Sam said, her voice hollow. "He's in Amity. I know he is. We've got - ...oh God..._oh shit_!" Sam said, leaping from the chair. Tucker stood as well.

"What? What is it?"

"Did you tell Danny?"

Tucker paled. "No." He admitted in a whisper.

"Why?" Sam demanded as she began to pace. Valerie sat in the chair Sam vacated, still studying the picture of Vlad's face.

Tucker shifted uncomfortably. "We're still trying to figure out where Vlad is at this point." Tucker mumbled. "I didn't want to call him and say, _'Hey, I got a picture of Vlad chillin' in the atmosphere, can you ditch your world tour and come check it out?'_ Technically, Vlad's allowed to be in the atmosphere."

"What?" Sam demanded, pausing in her pace.

"He's banished from earth. He has to stay outside of the stratosphere, but he can get as close to that as he wants." Tucker glanced down at his phone, which was lit up with calls. "He technically isn't breaking the banishment."

Something shifted in the air. Sam paused, looking around curiously. She could not pin the exact change, but she knew something just happened. She glanced out the window.

"Wait...wasn't it just raining?" Valerie quipped. Tucker and Sam whipped around to face her.

"Yeah." Sam mumbled. It was completely silent. The rain stopped. Sam turned to Tucker. "Call Danny."

"But -"

"_Call him_!"

Tucker hesitated, but his shoulders sagged in defeat. He lifted his office phone from its receiver and pressed it to his ear. Sam watched as his eyebrows knit together. "I'm not getting a dial tone."

"I'll use my phone." Sam muttered. She pulled her phone from her pocket. She blinked in shock. Her phone had no signal. "I don't have a signal..."

Valerie and Tucker pulled their phones out and announced the same thing.

Harvey poked his head into Tucker's office, his face contorted in stress. "I just lost my internet connection!" He cried. Tucker lunged toward his computer, jiggling his mouse to wake the screen. He let out a frustrated growl.

"I did, too." He muttered. Harvey blinked in shock.

"We just got cut off from the outside world," Sam whispered, terror in her heart.

* * *

**Reviews are highly appreciated but not necessary, if you have better things to do. I don't write DP fanfiction for reviews. I write DP fanfiction for lulz.**

**- Tori**


	8. Chapter 8

**Aaaand All Around Us has been updated.**

**Despite the fact that this chapter is ridiculously short in comparison to the others, I really, really like it.**

**Not sure why.**

**But I like it.**

**I started letting the story play out in my head earlier, and I came to a very unsettling discovery: there is going to be character death.**

**Several, if I can do this story any justice.**

**I won't say who or how many, so don't ask. But I can tell you that I have already mentioned these characters. Maybe once, maybe several times, maybe directly, maybe indirectly. But their names have been mentioned.**

**And that's all I'm gonna say about it.**

**Now, when I get reviews bitching about how I promised on my profile that I would never write a character death, I'm gonna respond letting you know that I WARNED YOU IN THE A/N OF CHAPTER EIGHT. SO THERE.**

**To the song:**

**I got another entry that I really like, so I'm adding it to the list of finalists. The new song is Just Breathe, by Anna Nalick. And I want the person who suggested it, IceDragon19, to know that while I have never heard that song before, the phrase "Just breathe" is one of the soul reasons I survived high school. I plan to get those words tattooed to my wrist in the near future. So, yeah, that song is an automatic finalist.**

**I've set up a poll on my profile page for you to vote on your favorite song. So far, two songs are tied for first place. We can't have that. So, please, go vote. Make my life a little easier.**

**That's pretty much all I have to say, other than the generic I don't own Danny Phantom.**

**Alright. Enjoy.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Eight**

**August 20, 2012**

* * *

"That can't be possible," Tucker said, uncertainty flashing in his eyes. "How can we be cut off from the outside world?"

"I dunno, how else would you explain losing the phone lines and the internet?" Sam demanded, her voice rising in hysteria. She took several calming breaths, closing her eyes and reaching for the key around her neck. "We've got to call a meeting."

"With who?" Valerie asked, standing and handing the picture back to Tucker.

"The town," Sam shrugged, rubbing the key between her index finger and her thumb. "We have to warn them."

"Whoa, whoa, wait," Tucker said, shaking his head. "Maybe something weird's going on with our phone lines in Amity. It's not too late to call Danny." He paused, furrowing his brow, before suddenly brightening and snapping his fingers. "There's an old payphone just outside of town, it's only, like...ten minutes south of here!"

"But can it call long distance?" Sam demanded.

Tucker furrowed his brow. "I think so..." He trailed.

"Let's go," Sam said, stooping and gathering her purse from the ground. She straightened and lead Tucker and Valerie quickly out of Tucker's office, brushing past the City Hall employees still milling about Harvey's desk and bounding toward the elevator. She jammed the down button repeatedly, her anxiety getting the better of her for a moment. She felt Valerie shifting uneasily behind her, and heard Tucker tapping his foot impatiently as the elevator slowly rattled toward their floor.

When the doors slid open, Sam was the first inside. Within seconds, she was jamming her finger against the Level One button until the doors slid shut. The floor rumbled as the elevator slowly sank back to earth. Tucker huffed and glanced at his Rolex.

The moment the doors opened again, Sam, Tucker, and Valerie were sprinting across the marble floor toward the front door. Tucker, being taller than both of the girls, reached it first. He held it open just long enough for the girls to dart past him, before they all raced toward Sam's car. She hit the unlock button a few feet away so that when they reached it they could fling the doors open without hesitation.

"Alright, get on Fourth and head east, then turn right on Maple," Tucker instructed from the passenger's seat. Sam rolled her eyes, but bit back her sarcastic comment about Tucker's backseat driving. _Now's not the time,_ she thought as she pealed out of her spot.

She floored it down fourth street, reaching the right turn three minutes faster than the average. She ignored the way Tucker clutched at the armrests and Valerie leaned dramatically as the car screeched around the corner. "Seatbelts help, you know," she muttered to them.

They ignored her back. Sam felt a fresh wave of terror as she remembered the gravity of the situation, forgetting Tucker and Valerie's uneasiness and urging the car to go faster. The needle was already brushing 95 MPH as it was; luckily, there did not appear to be any police officers out at that moment.

Sam spotted the payphone about fifty yards out. She slammed on her brakes, however; the payphone was just barely discernible through a thick sheet of rain.

"What the hell?" Tucker breathed. The air was completely dry around their car, and yet, it was pouring down rain just a few yards away. Sam threw the car in park and scrambled out of the driver's seat, leaving her car to idle in the middle of the road, and approached the payphone on foot. The drew up a few feet short of it, however; she was able to clearly see the line between where she stood on dry land and where the rain drenched the street. Subconsciously, she lifted her hand to hold it out in the rain.

"Don't!" Valerie cried. Sam recoiled her hand, glancing over her shoulder at Valerie. She and Tucker had exited Sam's car as well. Tucker was standing off to Sam's right, gazing curiously at the phenomenon before them, while Valerie was racing toward Sam. "Don't touch it!"

"Why not?" Sam asked as Valerie reached her. Sam cried out in protest as Valerie seized her shoulders and yanked her back, away from the rain. "Hey!"

"Because," Valerie huffed. She stooped and scooped a pebble off the road. She straightened and raised an eyebrow at Sam, before turning back to the rain and tossing the pebble.

The pebble soared through the air, heading directly toward the rain. However, before it could reach wet ground, it appeared to be caught in midair. Sam immediately began to hear a sizzling sound. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she smelled electricity. Tucker yelped and leapt away from the wall as what appeared to be small bolts of lightning arched up, forming a spider-web-esque dome that stretched far over their heads. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes followed the bolts.

"We're caged in?" She whispered, her mouth suddenly bone-dry.

"Call a meeting." Valerie said to Tucker. "Get everyone to City Hall, now."

"How?" Tucker asked hoarsely. He cleared his throat. "If I can't make a call, I can't get them to the square..."

"Go door to door." Sam said through clenched teeth. "Get your workers together, have Harvey coordinate it. Figure out a way to get everyone to City Hall, before someone gets killed," Sam jammed her thumb over her shoulder at the wall. Tucker followed her movement and gulped.

"We need to get back to City Hall, then," He muttered. Soundlessly, they climbed back into Sam's car. She pulled a U-turn and sped back to City Hall, ignoring the way her stomach twisted nervously.

* * *

It was eerily silent when they stepped back onto the third floor. Sam froze in the mouth of the elevator, suddenly keenly aware of everything she heard. There were no footsteps, no voices, nothing. Complete silence.

Tucker moved past her, glancing each way every few seconds. Sam and Valerie stuck close behind him as he ventured closer to his office.

They spotted Harvey sitting behind his desk. Marcus and the other employees were no where to be seen. Sam was just about to ask where everyone went when she noticed the look on Harvey's face.

He was exceedingly pale. His hands, which were tightly clasped in his lap, were trembling. He was sweating profusely. His eyes were wide, pupils dilated in terror. He jumped when he noticed Tucker, Sam, and Valerie, before leaping to his feet. Sam's heart thumped uneasily in her chest.

"H-he's waiting for you," Harvey said in a terrified whisper. Tucker stopped short, staring at Harvey, before glancing at his darkened office. The door was slightly ajar, but the light of the foyer offered no help in solving the mystery of who was in Tucker's office.

"C'mon," Tucker muttered. He reached his left hand back, which Sam took in her right immediately. Valerie was clutching Tucker's upper right arm, her knuckles white from the force with which she clung to him. Together, they stepped forward slowly.

Sam immediately identified the chill she felt stealing over her body as ghost-induced as she stepped into Tucker's office. Someone turned the lights out after they left, which plunged the room into near-blackness. Very little light leaked through the windows, as the storm over Amity Park was blocking the sun. She was just able to discern a dark shape settled in Tucker's office chair, before a cold, oily voice that seemed to be coming from every direction sank into her skin.

"It's very rude to be late, you know,"

There it was. That voice. The same voice that had been whispering to her for the last few days, only now, far more recognizable. Arrogant. Pompous. Self-centered.

"Vlad?" Sam whispered, hardly daring to breathe. He chuckled.

"Did you miss me, darling?"

The lights flickered on and there he was, settled behind Tucker's desk, looking completely at ease. Sam recoiled, stepping back involuntarily at the sight of Danny's old enemy. Vlad smirked at her movement.

"My, my," He stood and circled around the desk, drinking in their faces hungrily. "How you children have grown..."

"Why are you here?" Valerie asked, her voice trembling in fear. "Why did you trap us here?"

"Oh, it's quite simple, darling." He shrugged. He leaned back against the desk, unnervingly calm. "Revenge."

"D-Danny will kick your ass," Tucker stuttered. "The second he finds out you're here, he'll kick your ass."

Vlad threw his head back and laughed. Sam clenched her jaw, tightening her grasp on Tucker's hand. He returned her pressure without looking around. "Oh, that's cute," Vlad gasped, wiping a tear away from his face. "_'Danny will kick your ass!'_" He mocked, before dissolving into laughter again. "Oh, how adorable..."

"You better leave, before he finds out you're here!" Tucker said, taking a step toward Vlad. Vlad stood immediately, making to lunge at Tucker. Tucker yelped involuntarily and stepped back, yanking his hand out of Sam's to clutch at Valerie. Vlad chuckled mirthlessly.

"You have precisely twenty-four hours to prepare." Vlad said, his eyes gleaming red. "At this time tomorrow, my army will come and lay seige to this town. You all will regret ever banishing me from this planet. Of that, I am sure." Before Sam could even breathe, Vlad was gone. Vanished into thin air.

The air seemed thick for a moment, as the fear and uncertainty of whether or not Vlad was actually gone washed over the three. But when it became obvious that Vlad was on longer in the room, Sam felt free to exhale. Fear sat like a stone in her chest, making breathing difficult.

"What're we gonna do?" Tucker whispered, clutching the back of a chair for support. "We only have twenty-four hours to prepare, and we don't even know what we're preparing for!"

"Battle." Sam breathed. Tucker and Valerie whipped around to face her. Valerie's face was hard, set in determination. Sam grimaced. "We're fighting."

"How are we supposed to fight Vlad and whatever army he's got?" Tucker demanded, still gripping the back of the chair. "We don't stand a chance!"

"We don't have to fight him alone." Sam pointed out. "Call the meeting. Anyone over the age of eighteen who wants to help fight should be allowed to fight. Everyone else can go to the bunker. There's enough food down there to last the entire town three months."

"Three months?" Valerie asked, her voice faltering. "Is that how long this is gonna last?"

"I don't know," Sam admitted. She brushed her fingers against the key again, trying to imagine what Danny would say if he were here. He was so good at pep talks. Sam wondered if he got it from years of therapy with Jazz. She shook herself, forcing their thoughts to return to the present situation. "It could be that long. It could be longer. Or it could be shorter. There's no way to know."

"What about weapons?" Tucker demanded. "What are we supposed to fight with if we don't even know what we're fighting against?"

"All of the Fenton's weapons have been reprogrammed to work on humans, too," Sam answered, sounding far more calm than she felt. "We can raid the lab and find stuff down there to fight with."

Tucker stared down at the floor, chewing his lip. He looked up at Sam. "This is happening?" He asked, and Sam saw the hope in his eyes that maybe this was all just some freakish nightmare born from the stress of his job. She resisted the urge to join him in that delusion.

"This is happening," She confirmed. Tucker dropped his gaze back to the floor, trying to hide his fear. Valerie placed a consoling hand on his shoulder, momentarily forgetting about her own terror. Tucker took several deep breaths, before squaring his shoulders and looking back up at Sam.

"Let's do this, then." He said, pushing off of the chair and lumbering toward the door.


	9. Chapter 9

**Oh herro.**

**Do you ever get the feeling that you're reading/writing something much bigger than yourself?**

**Yeah...I have that feeling with this story.**

**Booyah.**

**About the character deaths. Let me add a bit more mystery to the confusion: it will not be limited to the show's original characters. My OC's are vulnerable as well.**

**So, yeah. Mull that over a little bit.**

**You freaking out yet?**

**Alright, to the song.**

**I literally JUST checked the poll. Now, instead of two songs tied for first place, there are three tied.**

**COME ON, PEOPLE. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME.**

**Please, please, for the love of God, PLEASE, go vote in this poll. I can't handle three songs tied for first place. If you want to see my head explode, then don't vote. But FYI that would mean that I would die and this story would never get finished and you would spend the rest of your life wondering what was going to happen next.**

**GO VOTE.**

**To those of you who thought the fighting would start in this chapter...well, let's just say that you're probably going to hate me by the end of this.**

**Cue the evil laughter.**

**Mkay I don't own Danny Phantom and I'm pretty sure I didn't mention anything else in this chapter that I don't own but if I did then I don't own it.**

**So there.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Nine**

**August 21, 2012**

* * *

The next four hours were a blur of activity to Sam. By the time the majority of Amity Park was gathered in the city's main square, Sam felt as if she had run a hundred miles. She realized with distaste that she still had a thousand left to go.

Tucker cleared his throat at the podium. He tapped the microphone, sending a muffled thump washing over the anxious crowd through the giant speakers that were hastily set up on the steps of City Hall. Tucker glanced around at Sam and Valerie, who were huddled together off to his left. He narrowed his eyes at Sam almost imperceptibly, obviously still slightly annoyed with her for their argument earlier. Sam shifted uneasily, losing herself in the not-so-distant memory for a moment:

_"It's not a big deal, Vlad won't attack if he knows Danny's here," Tucker said confidently as Harvey rushed away to gather the rest of the City Hall employees. Sam and Valerie glanced at each other._

_"Um...about that," Valerie said slowly._

_"Vlad knows Danny's not here," Sam said quietly._

_"How could he possibly know that?" Tucker asked, giving them a _you're-so-absurd_ look. Sam gulped._

_"Because...I told him."_

_Tucker froze, the color draining from his face. "What?" He whispered._

_"I didn't know it was him!" Sam said defensively. "It was right after Danny left, and...I felt this cold breeze. I thought it was Danny, at first, but then...it wasn't."_

_"So, naturally, you tell the ghost that Danny's not here?" Tucker's voice rose with his anger. Sam glared at him._

_"All I said was that Danny wasn't here, so go screw with someone else." She quoted, crossing her arms over her chest. "I had no way of knowing it was Vlad."_

_"You don't...you can't...!" Tucker spluttered. Sam narrowed her eyes at him, daring him to accuse her of something. "That was so stupid!"_

_"Alright, calm down!" Valerie said, injecting herself between Sam and Tucker, who were glowering at each other. "Sam made a mistake. It's in the past now, it's too late to change anything about it. We may as well just figure out what we're doing from here on."_

Tucker refused to speak more than three words directly to Sam after that, which Sam was fine with. _If Tucker wants to pout, let him pout_, she thought. _We have bigger problems._

"Thank you all for coming so late," Tucker said into the microphone, his voice wavering with his nerves. Valerie shifted beside Sam, clenching her hands into fists. Sam raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing. "I called you all here because we're currently in an extreme emergency situation."

A wave of alarmed mutterings rippled across the crowd. Sam spotted Dash near the front, furrowing his brow at Tucker's words. Paulina was right beside Dash, clutching his arm as she stared at Tucker. Star glanced at Kwan, who stood on Dash's other side, uncertainty in her eyes. Sam felt a wave of jealousy swelling in her chest, but she pushed it aside. It was absolutely absurd for her to be jealous of Paulina and Star because they had their boyfriends and Sam's was on the other side of the world, happily oblivious as to what was happening in his home town.

Tucker cleared his throat again, and the crowd fell silent. "In case you haven't picked up on it, the rain stopped, but the storm is still here." Lightning flashed overhead as if on cue, causing gasps to rip through the crowd. "The reason the rain stopped is because we're currently trapped inside the perimeter of the town by a large, deadly shield."

Absolute silence lasted a millisecond before screams of terror tore through the air. Sam leapt forward, shouldering Tucker away from the podium and seizing the microphone. "Everyone calm down!" She screamed, wincing at the volume of her voice through the speakers. The crowd began to quiet, though several children were crying and clinging to their mothers. "Freaking out isn't gonna help anything. We have a plan, so please, try to stay calm long enough for us to explain."

The crowd quieted further as Sam stepped away from the podium. She glanced up at Tucker, who shot her a thankful look, which she returned. He cleared his throat yet again and stepped back to the podium.

"I want everyone to stay calm after I say what I'm about to say. Because some of you are going to want to freak out, but please, try to stay calm. There is a silver lining in all of this," Tucker paused, glancing around the audience, before leaning into the microphone again. "Amity Park is currently under attack by Vlad Plasmius."

A fresh wave of terror wound its' way through the crowd, though most people seemed to stay in place. Various couples turned and clung to each other, mothers clutched their children, fathers wound their arms around their families in an attempt to protect them from the news. "That's not all," Tucker said apologetically. "He's brought an army with him."

The crowd was alive with fear. Sam watched in fascination as the mob began to bob and weave around itself, creating a hypnotizing movement. Tucker cleared his throat yet again into the microphone, and a hush fell through the crowd.

"The good news is that the bunker is fully functional. It has been stocked with enough food and water to last three months, which is more than enough." Tucker's voice was reassuring. "Anyone under the age of eighteen is required to take cover there, effective immediately following this meeting. Anyone over the age of eighteen that is willing to help us fight is more than welcome." Tucker glanced at Sam, motioning for her to take the microphone again. She walked forward uncertainly, her fingers brushing the key on her chest.

"We're going to fight," Sam said when she reached the microphone. "But we can't do it alone. Valerie and I will lead whoever is willing, Tucker will stay here and organize everything." Sam shifted restlessly, ignoring the nerves twisting in her stomach. "The Fentons have modified all of their ghost weapons to work against humans and ghosts alike. Our best hope is with them."

"I have a key to the house!" A voice called from the middle of the crowd. Sam squinted until she spotted the source of the voice: a thin redheaded girl in a black, long-sleeved shirt. "I'll be able to let everyone in." Jazz continued as the crowd turned to stare at her. "My parents are out of town, but I know how to work everything. I can help!"

Sam nodded. "Excellent." She said. She glanced at her watch. They already lost another half-hour. Less than twenty hours before the siege began. "We don't have much time. Everyone unqualified or unwilling needs to be in the bunker within an hour. Go to your houses and gather only the necessities. Please, be frugal. Everyone else, come see me or Valerie right after this meeting."

Sam stepped away from the podium, allowing Tucker to reclaim the spot. "The most important thing you need to remember is to stay calm." Tucker said soothingly. "Vlad will not attack until tomorrow. You have plenty of time. Please, don't lose your minds when we get done here. Remember what Sam said, gather the necessities and head to the bunker. But, above all else, stay calm."

Tucker stepped away from the podium and chaos broke out among the crowd. People near the front were shoving their way to the middle, desperately calling for friends and loved ones. Sam watched the commotion distantly, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

"Sorry," A voice muttered into her ear. She glanced up and saw Tucker watching her warily. "I shouldn't have reacted like that. I'm just..."

"Scared?" She asked, her mouth twisting into a grin. Tucker blinked. "Is big fancy Mister Mayor scared of a widdle ghost attack?"

Tucker shoved her lightly. "You're so not funny." He muttered, grinning in spite of himself. Sam laughed.

"Hey, Sam, wanna come help me with this?" Valerie called. Sam and Tucker looked around to find an impressively large mob of fifty or sixty people gathered around Valerie. Dash and Kwan stood the closest to her, Paulina and Star just behind them. Sam spotted several people she graduated with in the crowd. Harvey stood off to the side, Marcus shifting uneasily beside him.

"All of y'all are willing to help?" Sam asked as she neared the crowd.

"S'not like it'll be the first time we've ever kicked ghost ass," Dash shrugged, and Sam was jolted back to the memory of Ember and Youngblood kidnapping their parents. They worked so well together, forming a coherent army that moved together smartly. Hope flickered in her chest. _Maybe we do stand a chance_, she thought. She grinned at Dash.

"Alright, here's what's gonna happen." Sam said, all business. "We'll get more organized when we get to Fenton Works, so everyone head over there. Valerie and I need to talk strategy. Jazz," Sam paused, looking around the mob for signs of the redhead. She craned around Kwan and spotted the girl standing off to the side, appearing deep in an argument with the man Sam recognized as Micah, Jazz's fiance. "Jazz?"

"Just a minute," Jazz said impatiently. "Micah, I'm more than capable of fighting in this war."

"I just don't want you to get hurt," Micah said fearfully.

Jazz sighed. "I fought ghosts with my brother for years. I've gotten hurt before, and I've healed. This isn't any different."

"But it is!" Micah nearly shouted. He glanced up at the mob, suddenly aware that they were watching his argument. "Your brother's not here this time." He said quietly.

Sam skirted around the edge of the group and stood beside Jazz. "You're right. He's not." She glanced at Tucker, who was watching her closely. "But that doesn't mean we can't fight. And it certainly doesn't mean we can't win."

Micah stared at Sam, open-mouthed, before snapping his jaw shut. He stared at Jazz. "You're sure about this?" He asked through clenched teeth.

"I belong here, Micah. Right beside my little brother's girlfriend." Jazz placed a hand on Sam's shoulder. Micah eyed the contact warily.

"Fine. I'm with you, no matter what." He said shortly. Jazz's grin was blinding as she flung her arms around Micah's neck.

"Thank you," She breathed into his shoulder. Sam turned away when Micah's fingers tangled into Jazz's hair, choosing to focus on the mob before her instead.

"Alright. Everyone head to Fenton Works. Jazz?" Sam turned back toward the couple, who were no longer embracing. Jazz stepped forward, her eyes bright. "Take 'em down to the basement and have them sign in. Everyone gets a gun and a Jack O' Nine Tails. We'll work on splitting them into smaller groups and distributing the larger weapons when Val and I get there, okay?"

Jazz nodded. "Follow me, everyone!" She shouted cheerfully, taking Micah's hand and leading the charge down the sidewalk toward Fenton Works. Tucker, Valerie, and Sam were left alone on the steps of City Hall.

"Not all of them are gonna be able to fight," Valerie said in a low voice. Sam turned to face her and Tucker, climbing the steps to stand closer to them. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I think they're awesome, but...can you see Paulina with a Fenton Gun taking Vlad out?"

"No," Sam admitted. Tucker shook his head. "But that doesn't mean they can't still be useful. Paulina and Star both trained to be nurses, right?"

"Well, yeah, but they aren't graduated yet," Valerie muttered.

"That doesn't matter, they know enough to be helpful." Sam glanced over her shoulder at a gaggle of people moving toward the bunker. "Tucker, do you think you can convince your Board to stay and help organize this?"

Tucker rubbed at his temples. "I can try." He muttered. "Though I know some of them will go ballistic if I even approach them right now..."

"Go," Sam prodded him. Tucker turned on his heel and raced up the steps of City Hall, disappearing from view. Valerie stepped toward Sam.

"Are we even qualified to lead an army?" She asked, uncertainty flickering in her eyes.

Sam shrugged. "I've got seven years of ghost fighting under my belt, and you have all of the latest ghost fighting equipment and you're trained on how to use them." Valerie looked down at her shoes. "I think we're the most qualified here."

"What do you think Danny's gonna do when he finds out?" Valerie asked, glancing at Sam. Sam dropped her gaze as well. She had been trying not to think about that, but now it was all she could imagine.

"I don't know." Sam mumbled. "And I don't really want to know."

Valerie nodded. "It won't be pretty. I'd hate to be the person that has to tell him when it comes down to it."

"How long do you think it's gonna take for him to figure out something's up?"

Valerie shrugged. "He'll start worrying when you don't reply to his texts. He'll probably get an ulcer when his calls go directly to voicemail. And when he finds out you're fighting Vlad and his army..."

"Stop." Sam said sharply. Valerie's mouth snapped shut. "I can't think about that right now. We need to focus."

Valerie nodded emphatically. She furrowed her brow. "Hey, didn't the Fentons develop a ghost shield a few years ago...?"

Sam's head snapped up. "Oh my God, yes, they did!" She said excitedly. "And I know they figured out a way to solidify it to keep anything out, not just ghosts!"

"What are we waiting for?" Valerie began running down the steps, dragging Sam behind her by the wrist. "Let's go!"

Sam glanced back over her shoulder just as the square slipped out of her line of vision. Families were milling about aimlessly, clutching at each other and attempting to calm each other. Another half-hour slipped by on the clock. _Nineteen hours_, she thought.

_Nineteen hours._

* * *

**How much do you hate me? (;**


	10. Chapter 10

**If you're keeping score at home, If I Stay has been updated.**

**I had this brilliant idea for this chapter: "Hey, let's build the suspense some more!"**

**So that's what I did. HA.**

**I wrote some stuff down before I started writing this, because I've been meaning to tell y'all but I just kept forgetting. So here they are:**

**1. The timing of this piece is set sometime between their sophomore and junior years of college.**

**2. Most of the people they graduated high school with went to college, except Danny, Sam, Tucker and Valerie. Danny didn't go to college because his new lifestyle didn't really leave time for him to go, and he didn't really have any desire to (since NASA tanked, there go his dreams of becoming an astronaut. Sad day). Sam didn't because she wanted to stick with Danny, though she enrolled in a few classes at the local community college just for lulz. Tucker didn't because, hey, he's the mayor. He can do whatever he wants. And Valerie chose to stay at home and work to help support her father. I don't care if it's not accurate, that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.**

**3. You'll find out when Danny knows the same time Sam finds out. Like I said before, this piece is Sam-centric, meaning that for the VAST MAJORITY of this piece, you will see things through Sam's eyes. Don't worry, though. There will be a moment in the not-too-distant future when it becomes abundantly clear to Sam that Jack, Maddie, _and_ Danny know _exactly_ what's going on.**

**To the character deaths: thank you for not asking. I love that most of y'all are freaking out over it. It kind of makes it better, knowing that you're still gonna read even though characters are going to die. I can tell you this: it won't be Danny, Jack, or Maddie. And I've dropped hints in previous chapters that it won't be other people either. So, go ahead and comb through the first nine chapters and try to find those hints. Good luck (:**

**To the song: Last night, I checked, and my head almost exploded. Instead of three, THERE WERE FOUR SONGS TIED FOR FIRST PLACE. But I just checked again and someone else voted so now there is one song in the lead. I won't say which. Don't ask. But, anyways, if you want your song to win, go vote. If you've already voted, go tell other people to vote. Good luck!**

**That's really all I have to say, now. If y'all have any unanswered questions or unaddressed concerns, feel free to leave a review or shoot me a PM. I love talking to y'all, so...yeah.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom, and I mention something from Star Wars in this chapter, so I don't own that either. Enjoy (:**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Ten**

**August 22, 2012**

* * *

Fenton Works was in complete and utter chaos by the time Sam and Valerie arrived. The front door stood wide open, and voices carried all the way out to the street. Valerie and Sam exchanged a look before bounding up the stairs and darting toward the basement.

The mob of people from the square appeared to be experiencing a massive traffic jam in the staircase of the basement. Sam squared her shoulders and began shoving her way through the forest of bodies, ignoring the sharp cries of protest that quickly turned into murmured apologies as she passed. Valerie stuck close behind her, snickering at Sam's forwardness. Sam rolled her eyes and continued moving.

She found Jazz and Micah settled behind one of Maddie's lab desks, which they pulled hastily from the wall and set up haphazardly in the center of the lab. Jazz was scribbling names down furiously as Micah quickly handed each person a Fenton Gun and a Jack O' Nine Tails from ancient, ratty cardboard boxes. Sam skirted around the desk and peered over Jazz's shoulder, eyeing the list of names. Jazz, being the OCD person she was, numbered the names. She was already to number twenty-seven, and there appeared to be at least forty more on the staircase alone.

"Are there more people here than in the square?" Sam asked breathlessly, glancing up at the staircase. A few people were watching her, curiosity in their gazes.

"Oh yeah," Jazz said, straightening and glancing at Sam. "We picked up at least ten more just on the way here. I wouldn't be surprised if more show up."

Sam stood and turned to Valerie, who was staring at the list as well. "How are we gonna do this?" Sam asked.

"First thing's first...we need to get the shield up." Valerie said. Jazz glanced around at Valerie's voice.

"Are you guys talking about the ghost shield?" She asked. Sam nodded. "Oh, I know how to work it. Micah," She tapped Micah's shoulder. "Will you keep working on this while I help them? Just ask their names and scribble it down, don't worry about anything else."

Micah nodded and Jazz twisted out of her seat, scuttling toward a large control panel. Her fingers flew over the buttons expertly. "Mom and Dad modified it last year to keep everything out, so it's more like a force field now that a shield." She explained. "I can change the area covered here," She gestured to a small dial, "and I can change the height of the dome here." She pointed to a small lever. "I don't want to put it on max power, because it absolutely drains the power. We'll only be able to keep it up for, like, ten minutes," Jazz typed in a command on a small keyboard. Sam watched in amazement as symbols flew across the screen inches from Jazz's face. "But we can keep all animated objects out of the vicinity."

"What does that mean?" Valerie asked, leaning over Jazz's shoulder at the screen.

"Basically, anything that is living and breathing or moving on its' own accord will be repelled by the shield from the outside." Jazz said. "It won't stop debris from coming through, but it'll stop Vlad and his army."

"What about bombs?" Sam asked. Jazz craned her neck around to raise an eyebrow at her. "Oh, don't act like it's a far-fetched idea for Vlad to have bombs. Will that level of protection from the shield repel bombs?"

"I don't know," Jazz said, turning back to the monitor. She began to type in a complicated command. "I can try to make it repel anything with heat, but -" The screen dinged and went blank. "Oh. Well. There we go." Jazz turned back to Sam, smiling from ear to ear. "I just made it repel bombs."

"Is it up and running yet?" Sam asked.

"No, I didn't -"

"Go ahead and put it up now. Vlad said he wouldn't attack until tomorrow, but that doesn't mean he doesn't already have his army moving in the city."

"Is the bunker sealed yet?" Valerie asked, moving away from Jazz and Sam and glancing at the mob still waiting for their weapons.

"Tucker was gonna do that," Sam said absently, watching as Jazz set the shield to arch over the city exactly one mile in from Vlad's shield. That left a mile-wide ring between the two shields. Jazz hit a large red button and almost immediately a deafeningly loud mechanical whir started over their heads.

"It's produced by Fenton Works." Jazz explained over the noise. "That means that Fenton Works is the center of the shield."

"Fenton Works isn't in the center of town, though." Sam said, trying not to shout.

"I can't change the orientation of the shield." Jazz said loudly. "It covers most of town, except for the south-east side..."

"That's where our apartment is!" Valerie cried suddenly. Sam grimaced at her.

"Big picture, Val," She muttered. Valerie's face fell, but she did not say anything more on the subject. "Okay, that's fine. Now, how are we gonna get back through our own shield?"

Jazz stood and rushed to one of the many cabinets cluttering the sides of the lab. She threw the doors open as the whirring stopped. Sam watched, wondering if she should assist Jazz, but before she could move toward the cabinet Jazz appeared again. She was holding a black plastic box, a look of triumph in her eyes. "These will let you pass through the shield no problem."

Sam peered inside the box cautiously. It was full, nearly to the brim, of slim, metallic, green-and-white...

"Bracelets?" Sam deadpanned. "How are bracelets gonna help us get past the shield?"

"These aren't just bracelets," Jazz tutted as Valerie stared into the box over Sam's shoulder. "They lock into your specific genetic signature. They're directly linked to the shield. When you get near the shield while wearing this bracelet, you'll be able to pass through it harmlessly."

"What are they called?" Sam asked warily, snagging two from the box and handing one to Valerie over her shoulder.

"They haven't been named yet," Jazz said. Sam slipped her bracelet over her left hand, gasping when the metal contracted to fit snugly around her wrist. "Oh, yeah, they do that. That's how they lock in to your genetic signature."

Sam eyed the bracelet before fixing a deadpanned gaze on Jazz. "Are these prototypes?" She asked.

Jazz glanced down at the box, a blush coloring her cheeks. "They've been tested..." She murmured. "It's not like they're dangerous."

"If they don't work, they will be dangerous. Did they work when they were tested?" Sam asked, trying to keep her voice from rising.

"Yes." Jazz grumbled. "It'll be fine."

"Okay, we need to talk strategy," Valerie interrupted. She twisted the bracelet on her wrist as Jazz skipped toward Micah, brandishing the box at the mob. "I think we should split them in half."

"You lead one half, I lead the other?" Sam predicted. Valerie nodded. "Okay, and from there..."

"We split the halves into quarters, each quarter gets a fourth of the town?"

"I was thinking the same thing. But we should figure out where Vlad and his army are hiding." Sam said, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"You think they're already in town?" Valerie asked, turning to face the map of the town the Fentons had tacked to the wall of the lab. Sam gazed at it as well, letting her eyes rove over the city.

"Their shield circles around here," Sam drew a large circle, five miles wide, around the city. "And our shield is here." She drew a smaller circle inside the first. "We know they're not inside the shield, or else the alarm would have gone off."

"So they're somewhere in here?" Valerie asked, gesturing to the ring between the two shields. Sam nodded. "The question is..."

"Where?" Sam muttered. She stepped back and gazed at the map, willing Vlad to appear on the paper.

"Okay, we need to talk shifts." Valerie said, turning away from the map. "Fifteen hours sound too much for you?"

Sam furrowed her brow, attempting to do the math. "That leaves nine hours to eat and sleep?"

"Yep. Too little?"

"No, that should be fine." Sam said. "You have a preference as to who goes first?"

Valerie grimaced. "No..." She lied, glancing back at the map.

Sam rolled her eyes. "I'll go first." She said. Valerie snapped her head back toward Sam and widened her eyes in thankfulness. "Alright, how are we splitting them up?"

"Paulina and Star are definitely in charge of the infirmary," Valerie said. "We'll let them decide who's going to help them. Dash and Kwan could be our second-in-commands."

Sam rolled her eyes. "I get Kwan." She said sharply.

"Fine!" Valerie groaned. "I'll deal with Dash."

Sam smiled. "Okay, now, how are we gonna work out communicating between the groups? Fifteen hours means there's a six hour period when everyone is out there. Right? It's...it's nine hours on our own, six with everyone, and then nine to eat and sleep. That's the shifts, right?"

"Yeah," Valerie nodded. "Um..."

"Fenton Phones!" Jazz called over her shoulder.

"Of course!" Sam said, slapping a hand to her forehead. "Fenton Phones will work inside the shield, no problem. Not to mention, it'll block out any kind of ghostly sounds Vlad tries to use against us."

"Ghostly sounds?" Valerie repeated uncertainly as Sam dropped to her knees and flung a cabinet door open. "What do you mean, ghostly -"

"Remember Ember?" Sam asked, digging through old weapons that always seemed to backfire on Danny in their younger days.

"Yeah?" Valerie called. "What about her?"

"She hypnotized the entire town...three times...with her music." Sam crawled out of the cabinet with a box full of Fenton Phones. "Thank God they decided to mass produce this shit," Sam muttered as she straightened and wiped the dust from her knees. "Anyways, the only way me, Danny and Tucker...well, mostly me and Danny...were able to resist her music the first time was with these."

"Oh, I remember these!" Valerie said, pulling a pair out of the box. "You called them techno-goth earrings..."

Sam laughed at the memory. "Yeah I did..." She said, chuckling. She recalled the feeling she got when she wrapped her arms around Danny's middle, desperately trying to help him restrain Tucker. And then the memory of Danny's flight came to her. She shook herself as tears pricked at her eyes. "Alright, everyone gets a pair of these. Set them to the first frequency, we'll be able to maintain constant contact that way."

Valerie nodded, taking the box from Sam's hands and slapping it down on the table beside Jazz. "Everyone come get a pair of these, and make sure they're set to the first frequency! This is our method of communication, okay?"

Sam turned away as the mob murmured its' consent. She focused on the map, nibbling on her bottom lip and twisting the bracelet around her wrist nervously. "C'mon, Vlad," She whispered to the map. "Where are you?"

The map stared back at her, silent and unwilling to reveal its' secrets. Sam glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.

_Eighteen hours._

* * *

**I don't like the shortness. But I couldn't think of anything else to write and I'm running late today, so there. Next chapter should be up in the next day or two. Hang in there.**

**- Tori**


	11. Chapter 11

**Can I just say that making the transition between this chapter that the latest chapter of iPod Shuffle was beyond awkward?**

**I mean, I went from writing a fluffy friendship piece to writing...well, this.**

**You'll have to read on to find out what I mean by 'this.'**

**Oh, by the way, iPod Shuffle has been updated with Freakin' Perfect. Which, I have to say, is my new favorite song-fic so far. It _was_ The Great Escape. But now it's Freakin' Perfect.**

**Okay. To the character deaths: the first death occurs IN THIS CHAPTER. Yes, a character dies in this chapter. I intended for this person to die a little later on. But after three failed starts to this chapter, it opened...the way it opens. The whole time I was writing it, I was thinking to myself, "Nononononononono..." Just so you know.**

**And I just decided that at the end of every chapter in which a character dies, I'll add to the bottom, "RIP (character's name)" so that if you want to skip down to the bottom to find out ahead of time who's gonna die, you can do that. Because I hate the feeling of not knowing who's gonna die while I'm reading. It just makes me feel better when I know who's not gonna make it. And if you like the suspense, more power to you. Just don't scroll down to the bottom of the chapter. I'll warn you in the A/N of each chapter that contains a character death, too. If you want.**

**To the song: just checked the poll. There's still one song clearly in the lead. But it's definitely not too late to vote, so if you haven't already, go vote for your favorite again. I received an anonymous review asking if you have to be either a) a member of FF or b) on a computer to vote. So let me clear that up here: you do not need to be a member. But you do need to be on a computer. For some reason, phones don't pull up polls on this website. I dunno why.**

**Sorry. ):**

**Okay, about the second picture I describe down below. I kind of unintentionally stole something from Harry Potter in that description. I didn't realize it until I read back through it and the memory clicked. So, I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter. Or anything else you recognize in this chapter.**

**I think that's pretty much all. Enjoy.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Eleven**

**August 23, 2012**

* * *

The first bomb fell precisely thirteen hours and forty-seven minutes earlier than the deadline Vlad gave them. well after sunset. Sam was in the Op Center at the time, examining a map with Dash, Valerie, and Kwan beneath the light of a flashlight. She saw the flash from the corner of her eye and her head snapped up involuntarily toward the south. They gasped collectively as a mushroom cloud rose up in the distance.

"Was that...?" Kwan breathed. Sam felt as if her feet were rooted to the spot, before she suddenly found herself tumbling down the staircase toward the front door of Fenton Works, the other three on her heels. They shot past Jazz, who was teaching a small gaggle of people how to shoot the Fenton Gun, and sprinted down the street.

The Fenton Phones crammed in her ears began to crackle as someone hit the microphone. "Sam?" Tucker's voice was panicked in her ears.

"I'm here!" She shouted into the microphone, dodging a small group of people milling about on the sidewalk.

"Is Val with you?" He demanded.

"Yes!" She shouted again, feeling a stitch developing in her side. "What's going on?"

"Vlad just dropped a bomb. It hit your building."

"What?" Sam gasped, stumbling to a halt. Dash, Kwan, and Valerie stopped as well, leaning forward, brows knit in concern. Sam and Tucker had their own frequency set aside for the express purpose of communication between the two, so the other three were out of the loop. "Was anyone -"

"I don't know yet." Tucker said, his voice cracking in stress. "I wasn't sure if you girls went back to gather anything up before..."

"No, we were both at Fenton Works," Sam said. She put her hand over the microphone and leaned toward Valerie. "Vlad just bombed our apartment."

"_Fuck_!" Valerie shouted. "Was anyone there?"

"I dunno," Sam mumbled, removing her hand from the microphone. "Tucker, have you heard or seen anything from Vlad since -"

"No." Tucker interrupted. "Can you guys come to City Hall?"

"We're already on our way," Sam muttered, motioning for the others to follow her. "We'll be there in two minutes."

Tucker did not respond, so Sam flipped her radio frequency back to the main channel. A few people were attempting to have a conversation there, their voices strained in fear. "Everyone, this is Sam."

The line went silent immediately. "I know the bomb just fell. It hit my apartment building, outside our shield. We aren't sure if there were people there or not, I'm headed to City Hall now to find out what's going on. Just hang tight, you guys. We're not in danger."

"Yet." Dash muttered as Sam turned her microphone off. Sam shot him a dirty look before rolling her eyes and charging forward toward City Hall.

They found Tucker in his office, crouched before a tiny television. He glanced over his shoulder as they entered, but returned to his diligent watch without greeting. "Security cameras still work." He muttered as they crowded around him.

The image on the screen was grainy, but Sam was able to see the familiar shape of her apartment building, shrouded in near-darkness. "This is before the bomb?" She asked, eyes still on the screen.

Tucker nodded. "Two minutes before," He specified. "I started it at ten, there's been absolutely no movement. Everyone's either in the bunker or at Fen-"

"Wait, look!" Valerie pointed to the screen at the front desk of the apartment. There, through the windows, was a figure moving about, apparently gathering papers from various desks and drawers. "Is that...?"

"Oh, God," Sam whispered. "No, please, please..."

She could not stop her hands from flying to her face when the screen seemed to explode along with the apartment as the bomb hit. They lurched back, away from the screen, until the dust settled. The front desk was in shambles, the rest of the apartment complex nothing but a crater in the earth. Sam searched the debris of the front desk, praying with all of her might that Zack somehow made it out.

"Jesus Christ," Kwan choked. "They just killed a kid!"

Upon hearing her worst fears confirmed, Sam felt her body go numb. It could not be possible, that the awkward little boy with the awkward little crush was now gone, never to return again. Sam felt a consoling hand on her shoulder, a hand small enough to allow Sam to assume it was Valerie's, warm and reassuring.

"We knew this could happen," Valerie murmured. "Zack knew, too."

"We're supposed to have more time." Sam growled through clenched teeth. She shook Valerie's hand off of her shoulder and stalked behind the television, unable to look at the remains of her home any longer. She pushed thoughts of Zack from her mind. "We told them they had twenty-four hours to prepare. Vlad told us we had twenty-four hours. He lied."

A strange hissing noise off to her left caught her attention; she turned and stumbled back from the large red cloud materializing in mid-air before her. The cloud grew until it was about the size of Sam herself, before solidifying and revealing the face of none other than Vlad himself.

"Just wanted to apologize for that unfortunate incident a moment ago!" Vlad said breezily, grinning as if he were apologizing for his dog urinating on his neighbor's car instead of leveling an entire apartment building. "Hit the wrong button! Slip of the finger, you understand!"

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY OFFICE!" Tucker bellowed, seizing one of his chairs and throwing it with all of his might at the cloud. Vlad vanished just before the chair touched the smoke, leaving nothing but an echo of his cold laughter hanging in the air.

Sam winced when the chair smashed into the wall behind Tucker's desk. Several framed pictures fell from the wall and landed on the floor, the frames cracking and breaking to pieces. She sighed and crawled to where the pictures lay, carefully pulling the photos from the shards of glass and chunks of wooden frame. One was a photo of Tucker with his parents, posing before their house just before the first day of Tucker's freshman year. Sam remembered that day clearly; that was the day Danny got his ghost powers. The day all of their lives changed forever. She stacked the photo neatly on the edge of Tucker's desk, trying to banish the thoughts of deja-vu from her mind as she stood.

"We need to continue preparing as if we have another thirteen hours," Valerie was saying, trying to soothe Tucker's fury. "He bombed outside of the shield. We knew that was going to happen. We still have time."

"Yeah, dude," Dash said. "We have loads of time to get ready for this. Almost...um...nine hours?"

"Thirteen and a half hours," Kwan said, shaking his head at his best friend. "Are you ever gonna learn how to do math?"

Dash grinned sheepishly. "Naw, man," He shook his head. "Not when I have you to do math for me!"

Sam pinched the bridge of her nose. She sighed and opened her eyes, glancing down at the photo of her and Danny sitting on Tucker's desk. It was a fantastic photo of the two of them. It was captured by a photographer with the assignment of learning more about Danny Fenton as opposed to Danny Phantom, which was a refreshing change at the three-year mark of their relationship. Sam agreed to meet the pair in the park, right at the end of October, when the leaves were just changing color and the air was just cooling down. It was a bit awkward, at first, but eventually Sam relaxed and fell into her usual pattern with Danny. The photo depicted the two of them near the fountain in the center of the park, posed as if they were ballroom dancing. Sam's head was tipped back and her mouth was open in laugher, while Danny was leaning toward her, eyes closed, goofy grin on his face. The sky was steely grey and the leaves were dancing around them. It captured their relationship so perfectly.

Sam was so busy picturing the photo in her mind that she nearly missed the fact that the photo was not sitting in its' usual place on Tucker's desk. Sam blinked, gazing around the desk for signs of the photo. But it was no where to be seen.

"Tucker?" Sam said slowly. Tucker glanced up at her. "Where's your picture of me and Danny?"

Tucker blinked, his confusion evident in his eyes. "Right there." He said, pointing at the now-empty place. His mouth dropped open and he lunged toward the desk, staring in disbelief at the bald spot. "It was right there!"

"When was the last time you saw it?" Sam asked quietly.

Tucker swallowed hard. "Right before we left to try the payphone." He whispered. Sam squeezed her eyelids shut.

"Vlad took it." She muttered.

"That bastard..." Dash growled. Sam dropped her eyes to Tucker's desk, trying to catch her breath. She felt an odd sense of panic building in her chest at the realization that Vlad had taken an incredibly personal photo of her and Danny, and was doing God-knows-what with it at that very moment. She seized the key beneath her shirt and squeezed it in her fist, closing her eyes and forcing her breathing to slow as the coolness radiating from the metal sunk into her skin.

"It doesn't matter." She said firmly when her wits returned to her. "We need to focus on the situation right now."

Tucker's eyes flashed with some unidentifiable emotion, but it was gone in an instant. He nodded. "You guys have the troops figured out?" He asked, glancing at Valerie.

Valerie nodded. "Dash and I are leading twenty people, Sam and Kwan have twenty-one." She listed. "Paulina and Star have about ten people set up in the basement of Fenton Works, and they're working setting up an infirmary. A doctor showed up a few hours ago and offered his services, so he's out with Paulina and Star gathering as much medical equipment as they can find. We're prepared for pretty much anything, injury-wise."

"Good. Um, what about, like...more serious injuries?" Tucker asked.

Valerie grimaced. "Um...we don't have the resources to do any kind of surgery or anything like that. The best we can do is bandage them up and give them a bullet to bite."

Tucker nodded grimly. "That's about what I expected." He muttered, closing his eyes. He let out a long sigh, rubbing his temples wearily. Already, he looked to Sam as if he had not slept in weeks, and they were still hours away from the start of combat. "This shit's gonna blow," He added under his breath.

"I was thinking," Kwan said suddenly. Tucker looked up, his eyes bloodshot. "What are we gonna wear?"

"Clothes?" Valerie deadpanned. Sam snorted.

"No, I mean, like, isn't there something we can wear that might...I dunno...give us a bit more protection?" Kwan asked, pinching the fabric of his t-shirt over his chest and lifting it from his body.

Sam cocked an eyebrow. "You know, he has a point." She said thoughtfully, crossing around the side of Tucker's desk. She stopped beside Kwan, tapping her chin thoughtfully. She thought wildly of Valerie standing in her closet two days earlier, in nearly the exact same pose, pondering the exact same conundrum. She nearly laughed at the drastic change in situation. "There's gotta be something in the city that we can give people that will help."

"Leather jackets last forever, all the jocks from Casper High should still have their lettermans," Dash said quickly, snapping his fingers. "And we can raid the mall for everyone else, I know this awesome store that sells leather jackets -"

"What about Sports Authority? I bet they have ski pants for the legs," Valerie said. "Or -"

"There's a survival store in the mall, too, just opened last month!" Kwan said excitedly. "I bet there's tons of stuff in there, not just clothes!"

"Wait!" Sam cried sharply. They were all moving toward the door, ready to move to their destinations to pick up the clothes they needed. They paused, though, and fixed stressed gazes on Sam. "Do they all have to be _leather_?"

Valerie rolled her eyes. "We'll get you pleather, let's go, you vegan freak!" She shouted, seizing Sam's wrist and dragging her toward the door. Dash and Kwan held the doors aloft, allowing Valerie and Sam to slip through, Tucker just behind them. Sam closed her eyes and saw the smoldering remains of the front desk of her apartment building behind her eyelids, and with a pang she realized it would be Zack's grave. She swallowed the bile rising in her throat. _Thirteen hours_, she thought, _until you can kick Vlad's ass_.

_For Zack_.

* * *

**RIP**

**Zack**


	12. Chapter 12

**All Around Us has been updated.**

**So here's chapter twelve.**

**This is another good chapter, in my opinion. The fighting still hasn't started yet, but something good does happen in this chapter. You'll see. No character deaths in this one.**

**Ummm what is up with all these reviews. Did I hit review gold here? I woke up this morning to, like...fifty new reviews. Can you say smiling like an idiot at 5:30 in the morning?**

**Don't ask why I was awake at 5:30. I don't wanna talk about it. :P**

**To answer some of the questions I got in the reviews:  
Team04Phantom: I actually don't know why Vlad took the picture. I think he just did. Although I think I'm starting to get an idea of why. We'll see when we get there. Cryptic enough for you? (:  
Chicalata: Actually, the 'voice in Sam's head' was Vlad being all invisible and rude. You know, typical Vlad. And that's an interesting theory...O.O**

**Also, a supermegafoxawesomehot reader named Kitty in Boots brought up an interesting tidbit I'd like to address: Danny turning into Dark Dan when he finds out what is happening.  
That will not happen. Something will happen, and you can bet that Danny is gonna be piiiiiiiiiiiiiissed, but Dan will not be making an appearance in this particular fic. Dan's in another one of my fics. Two, I think. But not this one.**

**To the song: I attacked the replay button of the music video of the song in the lead on YouTube while I wrote this chapter. FYI. Inspiring.**

**One last thing. If any of you readers have a Deviant Art account and have the urge to illustrate any part of this story at any time, please feel free to. Just let me know in a review or a PM, and maybe mention my screen name and the story name in the description, and you can go crazy.**

**But if you're not gonna give me credit...it better be really stinkin' good.**

**Alright. I think that's all. I don't own Danny Phantom or anything else you may recognize in this chapter. **

**Haaaave fun.**

* * *

**They Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Twelve**

**August 24, 2012**

* * *

In the end, Sam wore leather. She was not happy about it at all, but she chose to keep her opinions on the matter to herself. No one looked as if they were ready for one of her vegan tirades.

So she took the brown leather jacket Dash offered her without comment, slinking off to the changing rooms with Valerie. Her arms were full of heavy-duty survival clothes; she gazed down at them in distaste as she shouldered one of the changing room doors open.

"Is everyone wearing the same stuff?" Valerie asked from the stall beside Sam's.

"I dunno," Sam grunted, stripping her shorts and shirt off. She pulled the sports bra over her head and secured it over her chest, before glancing up and catching a glimpse of Danny's necklace against her pale skin. She frowned at it. "I don't think there's enough of everything for everyone to wear the same thing." She added, yanking a thin white tank top over her head.

"I guess it doesn't matter, everything in this store looks alike anyways," Valerie grumbled.

"You're _seriously_ complaining about clothes right now?" Sam asked incredulously, pulling a white thermal long-sleeved shirt on over her tank top. She tugged at the hem until it rested just below her hips. She could not risk her naval area being exposed, not with bombs flying.

"Old habits die hard." Valerie muttered. Sam snorted as she pulled thick black pants up her legs. The fabric clung to her skin, staying true to the advertisement on the table on which Sam found them:_ 'Won't catch on anything!'_

"That, they do," Sam mumbled, perching on the small bench in the corner of the dressing room to yank wool socks over her feet. The girls were quiet for a moment, Sam listening intently to the sounds of their make-shift army dressing around the survival store as she laced up her boots. They were made of a supple leather; even though Sam wrinkled her nose at the thought of dead animals dressing her feet, she had to admit that these boots were probably going to be excellent to run in. The arch support was perfect, a welcomed improvement over her clunky faux-leather combat boots. The leather did not pull or pinch at her toes or heels; it was as if they conformed to her feet. She stood and tested her weight on each foot, smiling a little to herself.

"What time is it?" Valerie's question brough Sam slamming back to reality. She blinked and checked her bat watch.

"Nine forty-five," Sam said, barely registering the hollowness of her voice.

"Ten hours?" Valerie asked, voice hushed.

"Closer to nine, now." Sam muttered. She stooped and gathered her clothes, slinging the leather jacket over her shoulder. She slid the lock back and pulled the stall door open just as Valerie emerged from the stall beside hers. Valerie was wearing almost the exact same outfit as Sam's; the only difference was that Valerie's pants had a small white pattern on her upper left thigh.

Valerie let out a low whistle. "If we weren't about to die, I'd say you look hot in that outfit," She laughed. Sam rolled her eyes.

"You have no sense of boundaries, do you?" She muttered, turning on her heel and walking away. The heels of her boots clicked on the tiled floor, echoed by Valerie's scurrying footsteps as the girl caught up to Sam.

Sam paused at the end of the dressing room, tucking Danny's necklace beneath the collar of her thermal shirt. It was so cool against her skin that it nearly burned. Sam tapped it twice with the tip of her finger, before sighing and following Valerie back out into the main part of the store.

Dash and Kwan were already dressed almost exactly like Valerie and Sam when the girls emerged. They glanced up at the two as they approached. Their expressions were grim. The four did not speak as they watched the rest of the army dress in various places around the store. It was eerily quiet, considering how many people were crammed into such a tiny space.

"Did someone grab clothes for Tucker?" Valerie asked suddenly. Wordlessly, Kwan produced a set of clothes from the floor beside his feet. "Are they the right sizes?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kwan blushed and shrugged. "I dunno." He said, passing the clothes to Valerie. She took them with an aggravated sigh and began checking the tags for sizes.

"Actually, you didn't do too bad." Valerie said a few minutes later. "The pants are a size too small, but other than that, you nailed it. Nice job."

Kwan smiled, eyes twinkling with pride. "I didn't know what size shoes he wears, but his assistant did, so those are right, too." Kwan grinned.

Valerie nodded, obviously impressed. "Nice," She said, skipping off toward the table holding the boys' pants. Sam stared after her, lost in her imagination. _Danny's literally going to kill me when he finds out...well, that is, if Vlad doesn't kill me first..._

"Yo, Sam, you okay?" A masculine voice suddenly cut through her thoughts. Sam blinked and shook her head, glancing up at Dash, who appeared most concerned.

"Yeah, fine. What's up?" She asked, a brave attempt at a smile on her face.

Dash's eyebrows knit together. "Kwan wanted to know if you guys want to use his car. You know, to get around the city a little easier while all of this is going on."

"Oh!" Sam glanced over Dash at Kwan, who was holding his car keys. "What kind of car is it?"

"Jeep Wrangler," Kwan grinned. "One of the new ones, too. Y'all can take the roof off and the doors off if you want."

"That sounds awesome, actually. You wouldn't mind?"

"Nah, I'm probably gonna get a new one in a few weeks anyways," Kwan handed Sam the keys, still grinning goofishly. "Besides, you getting around safely is more important than my stupid car."

Sam took the keys with a smile. "I don't know about that, but thanks," She glanced back at Valerie, who appeared to have found pants in Tucker's size and was padding back toward the three. "Where's it parked?"

"Actually, out in the parking lot," Kwan chuckled. "We were all up here when we got word that Tucker needed to see everyone. We rode over to City Hall in Paulina's car, so my car, Dash's car, and Star's car are all still out in the parking lot."

"Sweet." Sam turned to Valerie, who just made into earshot. "We have access to a car."

"Fantastic." Valerie said, giving Kwan an approving smile.

"Alright, let's do this. Kwan, you and Dash stay here, keep everyone calm, and when they're dressed, take them back to City Hall. Val and I are gonna go ahead and go now, get Tucker's clothes to him, and then work on a strategy plan."

"Sam!" Jazz seemed to appear out of thin air at Sam's shoulder, brandishing a tan strip of cloth. "Look what I just found!"

"A...belt?" Sam asked, leaning away from the object to try to get a better view of what Jazz was showing her.

"No!" Jazz brandished the cloth at Dash and Kwan, before returning it to an inch away from Sam's nose. "It's a tool belt! There are hundreds of them in overstock! And I checked, this thing can hold the Fenton Gun and the Jack O' Nine Tails easily!"

"Get one to everybody, make sure they know how to use it." Sam said quickly, snatching the belt from Jazz's hands. Jazz darted off toward overstock, stepping over the people sprawled on the ground yanking their boots on. Sam watched her go, slinging the belt around her hips without bothering to feed them through the belt loops of her pants. She did up the buckle before stooping and gathering Tucker's clothes. By the time she straightened up, Jazz was handing a belt to Dash and Kwan, two to Valerie, while Micah distributed belts to everyone else from a large cardboard box. "Val, let's go."

Valerie nodded and followed Sam out of the store. They walked quickly through the abandoned mall, their boots clicking against the floors and echoing off the walls. Sam continuously glanced over her shoulders, imagining Vlad bearing down on the pair of them on high, cackling at their vulnerability. She suddenly cursed herself for not thinking to grab the Fenton Gun off of the counter in the Op Center before the bomb exploded.

And with that happy thought came memories of Zack. Sam grit her teeth together and stepped up her pace, determined to numb the pain in her mind. She shoved the doors of the mall open with far more force than necessary, stalking toward Kwan's Jeep. She spotted the car a ways off from where she and Valerie stood. The headlights flashed as Sam hit the unlock button on the remote key.

Valerie did not comment on Sam's unfortunate mood. In fact, for once, Valerie kept her mouth shut for the entire ten-minute drive to City Hall. Sam flipped the radio on, but all the speakers broadcasted was static. Sam growled and turned the radio off, opting to ride in silence.

Tucker decided he wanted to stay at City Hall when the group was about half-way down the front steps. He mumbled some excuse about wanting to watch security films to ensure that Zack was the only person in the apartment complex when it went down. The other four exchanged glances, but nodded mutely. Tucker turned and bounded back up the stairs without another word.

He was still in his office when Sam and Valerie arrived from the mall. He glanced up at the two over what appeared to be a photo. Sam dumped his change of clothes in the chair on her side of the desk, before crossing to his side to gaze at the picture over Tucker's shoulder.

It was a picture of her, Tucker, and Danny. _The_ picture of the three of them, in her mind. Taken in the eighth grade, right after Sam became a goth and chopped all of her hair off. Right after Tucker realized his love for technology. Well before Danny's powers arrived, but right after he became goofy and awkward and...well, _Danny_. Sam smiled at her younger self, so young and innocent, the lightest of blushes coloring her cheeks for Danny's arm thrown around her neck.

"Did you ever think we'd end up like this?" Tucker asked quietly. Sam gazed at the back of his head, an overwhelming sadness forming a solid lump in her throat. "Then, I mean. Back before Danny got his powers and everyone decided they wanted him and us dead. Did you think we'd end up here?"

"I knew we were going to end up doing something meaningful," Sam said slowly. It was the truth. "I just didn't think we'd be doing..._this_. I thought I would end up leading some crazy rebellion or something, probably getting killed young doing that. You would be the next Steve Jobs. And Danny would end up being the first human being to set foot on Venus or something."

Tucker chuckled humorlessly. "Never like this, though." He said softly. "Never fighting for our lives...and never separated." He turned to peer up at Sam through his horn-rimmed glasses. "I always thought the three of us would grow up together."

"We are growing up together," Sam said gently. "We're all still here, right?"

"Well, technically, yes. But I'm so busy being the stupid mayor that I have _no time_ for you guys anymore. Danny's off traveling the world, and you...we sort of left you in the dust," Tucker said apologetically. "God, Sam, we're terrible friends to you..."

Sam hushed him. "You're not." She said, taking his shoulders and shaking him slightly. "You two are my best friends in the entire world, regardless of where you are or how long it's been since I've seen you. You two will always be my best friends. Val, you too," Sam glanced over at Valerie, who was still standing in the middle of the office, staring at her feet in an effort to be invisible. She looked up when she heard her name, a blush flooding to her cheeks. "When we get through this, you'll see. Trust me."

Tucker stood, his eyes on Valerie's face. "I owe you an apology, too," He said, moving around the desk toward her. Sam perched on the edge of Tucker's chair, holding her breath. "You and I...we have something. But I've been so busy with what I'm doing that I've been neglecting it. I've been neglecting _you_."

Valerie's eyes were big and shining and trained on Tucker's face. "S'okay," she whispered through quivering lips.

"No, it's not." Tucker bent and crushed his lips against Valerie's. Valerie stiffened, before melting against Tucker. Tucker's hands traveled up her back and tangled in her hair as her arms wound around his neck. She seemed to be clinging to him, as if letting go would mean falling down. Tucker did not seem to mind. He grunted and lifted her up, taking a step backwards to brace himself as Valerie's legs coiled around his waist.

"Guys?" Sam said. They did not look around. "Okay, we get it, you guys love each other." She paused. Tucker tightened his grip around Valerie's waist. "GUYS!"

Valerie jerked away from Tucker, her eyes half-lidded in confusion. "Huh?" She grunted.

"Can you save it for later?" Sam grumbled, picking at the edge of a document on Tucker's desk. "I'd like to be able to sleep later on and I can't do that if I'm having nightmares about you two sucking face."

They blushed as Tucker tenderly sat Valerie down on her feet. They exchanged one last loving glance - and Sam was pleased to find that this made her want to be sick - before turning back to Sam.

"Sorry," Valerie murmured, grinning widely.

"I'm not," Tucker chortled.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Lovebirds." She muttered under her breath.

* * *

**You guys know the picture I'm talking about, right? The one in Danny's locker in that one episode where he forgets who Sam is or they never meet or something. Idk I don't remember the name. The one with the wishing ghost.**

**CRAP I'm the worst fan fiction writer ever. I don't even remember the ghosts' names.**

**Really, I do, but like I said earlier I've been awake since 5:30 and I'm pretty much asleep right now as it is.**

**Thanks for reading, my loves.**

**- Tori**


	13. Chapter 13

**Yeah, okay, I know I didn't update Sirens Suck, I'm sorry. I could not for the _life_ of me focus on that story. I drained my entire laptop battery sitting on my couch trying to write it.**

**Of course, I knocked this chapter out in 45 minutes.**

**I'm curious to see how many of you guys are going to verbally murder me in the reviews after this chapter.**

**Ha...hahaha.**

**Okay, Memory Blank, the ghost's name is Desiree. Got it. Now that my brain is half-way functioning, I remember. Also, I realized I mixed up who was standing where when I half-described the picture in the last chapter. I forgot Sam was the one in the middle with her arms around the boys' necks, as opposed to Danny in the middle. My bad. Let's pretend like it's the other way around for the purposes of this story.**

**Team04Phantom: I thought about it a little more, and Vlad _definitely_ took the picture for a reason. A very, very sinister reason. For sure. Uh-oh.**

**No character deaths in this chapter. Well, none reported. O.o**

**To the song: a grand total of 10 people have voted in the poll. One song is in the lead. If you haven't already and give half a crap, go head to my profile page after you finish reading this chapter and give your favorite song a vote. For those of you with short term memory issues, the song that receives the most votes will appear in a later chapter of this very story, and the person who nominated the song will be mentioned by name in the A/N. So that's cool, I guess. (:**

**Alright. I don't own Danny Phantom. Maybe now that I have this out of my system, I'll be able to concentrate on Sirens Suck.**

**I seriously doubt it.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Thirteen**

**August 25, 2012**

* * *

At six-thirty AM, exactly thirty minutes before Vlad's deadline, Tucker called Valerie, Sam, Dash, and Kwan into his office. They stood in a circle around Tucker's desk, which was cleared of everything except a map of the layout of the city. Two circles representing the two shields were sketched roughly around the perimeter of the map, but no other markings had been made.

"Alright." Tucker started. "The space between the two shields is a mile-wide ring. It's safe to assume Vlad and his army are in that ring...we just don't know where. That's our _number one priority_ right now. Kwan," Kwan looked up from his search of the map. "_Your_ next priority is keeping Sam safe."

Kwan shot Sam a crooked grin. "Seems like we've been here before," He chuckled, and Sam suddenly recalled Ember and Youngblood's attack on the city so many years ago. She shot him a grin back.

"Dash, same goes for you about Valerie." Some form of conflict flashed deep in the recesses of Tucker's eyes as he glanced at Valerie, but he shook it off quickly. "Find the nest. The ship. Whatever they're using as shelter, find it, and report back to me the second you do. We'll be able to find a way to destroy it once we know what and where it is."

"Vlad arrived in a spaceship. In the picture, what appears to be aliens are standing in the windows of the ship just before Vlad destroys the monitor. We don't know how many were on the ship, or if others came after it, but we do know that the ship has some sort of cloaking device that makes it look like an asteroid." Sam said quickly. "So be looking for something like that."

"Sam's absolutely right." Tucker nodded. "Sam, Kwan, you guys search the part of the park outside of our shield first. The scouts will be out searching the rest of the city, but I have a gut feeling about the park." Sam and Kwan nodded in agreement. "Be careful, and keep each other safe. Okay?"

"Absolutely." Kwan said solemnly. Dash nodded.

"I've got Marcus leading a group of five or six around the business district," Sam pointed to a section of the map just a few blocks away from where her apartment once stood. "The St. Madeline building has a big enough parking garage for that ship to fly into and land. If it's not in the park, it could be there. I gave Marcus strict orders not to attack if they find it there, just to get out and call me as soon as possible."

"Perfect." Tucker said.

"Everyone else is patrolling the outer perimeter of the shield. They're all in place, waiting for my order."

"Harvey thought he caught a glimpse of whatever Vlad's army is made of," Valerie offered quietly. "He said whatever it was he saw was huge. At least six feet tall. He couldn't get a good look, because it was at three this morning and the storm's blocking the moon, but he said it was huge and moving quickly."

They lapsed into silence, absorbing the news. Sam clenched her jaw as a wave of fear washed through her. _Mind over matter_, she thought sternly. _You're not gonna let some stupid alien scare you, are you? You're Sam effing _Manson_. Eff those bastard aliens, and their little bitch-dog leader Vlad, too._

"We can handle it." Dash said darkly, squaring his shoulders. Sam suddenly understood why so many football players from other schools were afraid of Dash in high school; when he had his game face on, he looked terrifying. Kwan steeled himself beside Dash, and Sam was struck by how suddenly alike they looked. So different in appearance, and yet, exactly alike with their masks of determination. Reassurance calmed her churning nerves. She drew confidence from her ex-tormentors.

The lenses of Tucker's glasses caught the sudden flash of lightning through the window. All five glanced at the window, gazing out at the world outside, before slowly redirecting their gazes toward the map. "I'll have a constant line of communication with Sam and Valerie as you guys are out there." Tucker informed them, tapping the Fenton Phones in his left ear with the tip of his pencil. "We'll map out where Vlad's army is most heavily concentrated, and we'll work out attack plans as we go. Sound good?"

They murmured their agreement. The room lapsed into silence again, tension billowing up and nearly suffocating the five. Sam wondered what Danny was doing at that exact moment. Tucker cleared his throat and looked to Sam.

"Are your guys ready?" He asked, voice tight.

Sam nodded.

"Let's get out there, then."

* * *

Kwan stuck close to Sam's side as the two stepped into the boundaries of the park. Sam tried to ignore him and focus on the weak but steadily growing light throwing her surroundings into sharper detail. Her eyes were locked on the horizon visible behind the wall of the Fenton's shield, familiar because it was the horizon she grew up chasing as a child in the park, but foreign for its' odd green tent from her view through the semitransparent shield. In their ten-minute walk from City Hall, they had seen no movement beyond that wall.

Sam hit a small button on the Fenton Phone crammed into her right ear. "Marcus?" She tested.

The speaker crackled for a moment. "Yo." Marcus' voice slipped through the static.

"You guys in position?" She asked, pulling the Fenton Gun from her tool belt. The wall of their shield was just ten yards off.

"Locked and loaded." Marcus said. Distantly, Sam heard someone shouting directions to Marcus' team, before Marcus' voice filled her head again. "You guys at the park yet?"

"We're at the edge of the shield now," Sam said, stopping short of the shield. "Seen anything yet?"

"Nah." Marcus grunted. "Been lookin' too. Haven't seen a thing. You think they're still sleeping?"

Sam snorted. "Maybe. That would be just like Vlad. Missing the start time of his own invasion because he overslept."

Marcus did not respond. "Mark?" Sam pressed the Fenton Phones further into her ears, intensifying the static rattling her brain.

She heard the sounds of boots scuffling against the sidewalk, barely masking sudden shouts of terror. "_Holy shit_!" Marcus screamed into the microphone.

Kwan's eyes were wide as he stared at Sam. Vaguely, she wondered what type of mask of horror she wore at the moment, but she pushed that thought away quickly. "What do you see?" She demanded.

"They're huge! Holy fuckin' _shit_, Sam, they're...Jesus! No! Move! It's behind you, _MOVE_!" Marcus' voice crackled before the signal gave out and the connection lapsed into static.

"They're under attack." Sam muttered as she flipped the Fenton Phones to her connection with Tucker. "Tuck, it's me. Marcus and the others just ran into some of whatever Vlad brought with him." She said quickly, ignoring the look of terror on Kwan's face.

"You're kidding!" Tucker sounded panicked. "Have you guys -"

"No, not yet." Kwan was tugging at the sleeve of Sam's jacket. She shook him off. "I don't know how many, but it sounded like there was at least one over there. I don't know how close..." Sam paused, shooting an aggravated glance at Kwan as she yanked her sleeve from his hand. "_What_?" She demanded, not bothering to shut her microphone off.

Kwan appeared to be unable to form words. His eyes were fixated on something over Sam's shoulder, his mouth pulled into a silent scream, his trembling hand pointing. Sam stiffened and turned slowly, hardly daring to draw a breath.

The aliens were massive. The one standing behind her was twice the size of Jack Fenton, towering over Sam and Kwan at at least eight feet tall. Its' brownish scales seemed to glitter in the minimal light. Its' eyes were the size of saucers, black as the night. Two holes situated where a nose ought to be quivered as the beast sucked in oxygen. Sam's breath caught in her throat as the creature growled, pulling its' lips back into a snarl and revealing two rows of razor-sharp, yellowing teeth.

"What's wrong? What do you see?" Tucker's voice questioned sharply in her ear.

The creature raised an arm the size of a small tree trunk and swung it, its' claws catching the distant orange light of the street lamps, and swung it at Sam and Kwan's heads. Sam squeezed her eyes shut as Kwan's arm caught her around the waist and dragged her to the ground.

A strange sizzling noise assaulted the air over the sounds of Tucker demanding to know what was going on. Sam gasped and opened her eyes, to find the beast swinging wildly at the Fenton's shield. Its' limbs bounced off, however, eliciting a terrifyingly loud snarling noise from the beast. Sam and Kwan scrambled backwards from it, Kwan making seemingly involuntary whimpers as they went.

"There's one here," Sam finally choked. "It's fucking _huge_."

"Are you guys alright?" Tucker barked.

"We're fine, just caught off-guard!" Sam cried as the beast released a gruesome noise not unlike a howl from a rabid dog. "The shield works, by the way!"

"Small comfort." Tucker muttered. "Please be careful."

"Why don't _you_ come out here and be careful?" Sam snapped, pushing herself into a standing position and hauling Kwan up as well. "We're going in. Leaving the shield. Jazz better _pray_ these bracelets work."

"I think we're _all_ praying they work." Tucker muttered.

Sam flipped her radio off and turned to Kwan. "Ready?" She breathed.

Kwan looked anything but ready, but he nodded anyways. Instinctually, Sam reached for Kwan's hand, which he gave to her automatically. She turned toward the beast, grimacing at the foam gathering at the corners of its' mouth. Her fingers tightened around the butt of the Fenton Gun, index finger caressing the trigger.

"Let's do this." She spat through clenched teeth.

* * *

**LOL DON'T KILL ME TOO HARD.**


	14. Chapter 14

_**PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU SCROLL PAST MY A/N AND GO DIRECTLY TO MY STORY.**_

_**I JUST UPDATED THIS STORY TWICE IN LESS THAN THREE HOURS. THIS IS CHAPTER FOURTEEN. IF THE LAST CHAPTER YOU READ WAS TWELVE, WHICH ENDED WITH TUCKER AND VALERIE MAKIN' OUT AND GROSSIN' SAM OUT WITH THEIR COUPLY-NESS, YOU SKIPPED A CHAPTER. GO BACK AND READ IT OR ELSE THIS CHAPTER WILL BE INCREDIBLY CONFUSING.**_

**Alright.**

**Boom, bitches. Two chapters in less than three hours. I'm on fire.**

**Turns out I couldn't concentrate on Sirens Suck. Like, at all.**

**Eh, I'll try again in the morning.**

**I better get a shit-ton of reviews on this. Seriously. I know I've said that I don't care about reviews, but, come on. I updated this shit twice in one day. In less than three hours.**

**YOU WANT THE NEXT CHAPTER, GIVE ME A FRIGGIN REVIEW. IT'S PRETTY DAMN SIMPLE.**

**I'm sorry. It's 11 o'clock and my filter for curse words is basically gone. I don't mean to offend anyone with my horrendous potty mouth. I have almost no sleep in my system and I'm about to pass out from exhaustion/hunger.**

**I want to watch the Hunger Games.**

**NO FILTER.**

**Um, yeah. To the song: idk, I haven't checked the poll again. Let's just assume it's still the same.**

**To the character deaths: none in this chapter that matter.**

**OH, there was something I was gonna mention in the last chapter but I forgot until just now. To the Deviant Art: I haven't had any takers. So I'm upping the stakes. If someone out there reading this post has a Deviant Art account and is itching for a new project, this is it. Draw something freaking amazing based on something I've mentioned in this story. Maybe a badass picture of Sam or something. Idk, you're the artist, be creative. If I like it, I'm gonna use it as the cover of this story. With your permission, of course. All credit will go to you. I'll update the cover in the last chapter, maybe sooner if I feel so inclined. Your name will be mentioned in the A/N of the last chapter.**

**Let's see if I can get any takers NOW.**

**Okay. That's all. I don't own Danny Phantom. Goodnight.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Fourteen**

**August 25, 2012**

* * *

The alien hit the ground with a dull and final thud about six minutes after Kwan and Sam darted out from behind the safety of the shield. Sam staggered away from where it lay in a heap, wiping at the small stream of blood pouring from her mouth. The thing got a good hit in when Sam was unprepared; she thought to herself that she was lucky not to have lost any teeth, considering how hard the thing hit her across the face.

Kwan squinted at her, one side of his face already darkening as a crescent-shaped bruise blossomed beneath his skin. "Wasn't so bad," He muttered.

Sam spat a large amount of blood and saliva to her right. "Yeah, right," She grunted, wincing as she carefully dabbed her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket. She jerked away when she remembered she was wiping her face with an animal carcass.

Kwan was staring at the beast. "Should we test the bracelets?" He asked, not bothering to look up from where the beast lay.

Sam stepped over the creature's legs and hesitantly extended her left arm toward the shield. She squeezed her eyelids shut and took a large step forward, fully expecting electric shocks to send her to the ground in violent convulsions.

The shock never came, however, so Sam cautiously opened one eye. Her arm was half-way absorbed through the shield. She could clearly see her hand on the other side of the shield, fingers stretching and clenching into a fist. She glanced back at Kwan, who was grinning. "We have lift-off!" Sam said jokingly.

The Fenton Phones beeped in her ear, signalling that someone was trying to connect with her. Sam stepped back from the shield, drawing closer to Kwan, and flipped the microphone on.

"Sam?" Tucker said hesitantly.

"We're both fine." Sam answered his un-voiced question. "The thing is dead. We're both kind of hurt, but it's not anything major. It hit Kwan in the face and me in the mouth. But we're okay, we can keep going."

Tucker was silent. "Are you sure?" He asked, his voice tight.

"Positive. We've both dealt with a little blood before, we're fine." Sam said, not bothering to keep the annoyance out of her voice. "We're gonna keep exploring the park."

"Be careful." It sounded more like an order than a worried sentiment. Sam rolled her eyes and shut the radio off, offering her hand to Kwan, who was crouching by the creature's head.

"Let's go," She grunted as she hauled Kwan to his feet.

They struck out across the park, heading east. Sam glanced up at the sky, slightly distorted through Vlad's shield, and wondered if it was still raining. Thunder still grumbled in the background and lightning flashed ominously, but she could not see rain. She glanced at Kwan, who was watching the sky as well.

"You think Danny's out there?" He asked quietly, peeling his gaze away from the sky to stare at Sam. She felt a shard of ice lodge itself in her chest.

"I don't know," She whispered.

Kwan grimaced, realizing his mistake. "It's okay," He said quickly, taking Sam's hand in his and squeezing. "You'll get to see him again, I promise..."

Sam huffed. "Why does everyone think I'm falling apart without him?" She demanded, stopping in her tracks and pulling her hand from Kwan's. Kwan stopped too, looking sorry he ever brought the subject up. "I'm perfectly capable of functioning without Danny here!"

"I wasn't trying to suggest that you aren't," Kwan said carefully. "I just meant...you know, it's hard for me to be out here, without Star. So I thought it would be hard for you, too, since you can't see him."

Sam softened. "Sorry." She mumbled.

Kwan waved her apology off. "It's okay. I realize now that it sounded sort of...assuming, I guess. I know you can take care of yourself. Everyone knows that."

Sam frowned. _Everyone but me_, she thought. She shook her head roughly, banishing the thought from her mind. "Let's keep moving." She sighed, resuming their walk. Kwan trotted after her, throwing a glance over his shoulder every few minutes. They walked in silence for a while, Sam scanning the horizon, Kwan checking their rear.

They climbed the top of a hill, and from that vantage point, Sam spotted three more beasts crossing the field on the other side. She dropped into a crouch behind a bush on the edge of the hill, dragging Kwan down by his sleeve as she went. Without a word, she pointed through the branches of the shrub toward the creatures. Kwan peered through the foliage, the color draining from his face when he saw them. Sam pressed a finger to her lips. Kwan nodded.

She dropped to her belly and carefully crawled through the bushes, propping herself up by her elbows. The tiny branches fell forward and nearly blocked her face, but she was still able to get a clear shot at the creatures. She cocked the Fenton Gun and aimed, tilting her head to one side and shutting her left eye as an added measure. Her finger hovered over the trigger as she steadied her aim.

She squeezed and jumped a little as the gun kicked. The ray of the gun shot straight and true, however, finding purchase in the center of one of the beast's head. It crumpled to the ground instantly as its' fellow creatures snapped toward the hill, snarling in response to the attack. Sam aimed again, smirking as the beasts clambered over their fallen comrade and struck out at a gallop toward the hill.

Sam and Kwan sent a hail of rays at the beasts as they approached. Sam stayed flat on her stomach in the foliage, while Kwan stood for better aim. The second beast fell ten feet off from a ray shot from Kwan.

The third creature bore down on them. Sam rolled to her side, narrowly avoiding the beast's clawed feet kicking through the branches. She winced as she felt something sharp attempting to catch her back; the only thing keeping it from ripping through her flesh was the thick leather jacket. Suddenly, her annoyance with the article of clothing vanished.

She scrambled to her feet as the beast turned toward Kwan, who was attempting to catch its' attention by shouting wildly. She aimed the gun at the creature's back and fired.

The ray from her gun hit the creature's scaly back and rebounded, hurtling directly toward her face. Sam barely had enough time to duck before the ray whizzed past her. She felt her hair sizzling from the heat of it passing by, inches from her skin.

The creature jerked around and roared in displeasure. Sam lost her footing and fell backwards into the bushes, crying out as the branches reached out at her and lashed across her face. The cuts the bush left were stinging her face and hands as the creature hovered over Sam, mouth pulled back into a terrible leer. Sam threw her left arm up over her face, momentarily forgetting she was nearly sitting on her gun.

Nine thin wires suddenly sprang around the creature. There was a moment of near comedy as the creature looked down at the wires stretched across its' chest in utter bewilderment, before the wires delivered a powerful electric shock. The creature howled and fell to the ground, where it convulsed for a moment before going still. Sam clutched her chest, her fingers tightening over her thundering heart, as Kwan appeared. He was looking down at the beast, panting.

"Are you okay?" He asked between gasps.

Sam nodded. She could not form words. Her mind was reeling, her muscles tense. _I almost died just now_, she thought. She barely registered the fact that Kwan was speaking over her panicked thoughts. _I almost died right here in this park_. She glanced around, and suddenly, her surroundings registered. She nearly vomited. _I almost died in the exact spot where Danny and I had our first kiss._

"We should keep moving," Kwan was saying. "If there are others around here, they'll have heard that, and they'll be heading this way -"

"Let's go," Sam said quickly. Kwan looked startled, but said nothing. He offered her his hand, which she took, and pulled her to her feet. He pulled his hand away and stared at it, his expression unreadable.

"Your hand is bleeding," He said finally, twisting his hand around so that Sam could see his blood-stained palm. She glanced down at her hands and was shocked to find a substantial amount of blood leaking from them.

"I guess I got more cut up in that bush than I thought." She said finally. She twisted back toward the bush and grabbed her Fenton Gun, which was nestled in the branches innocently.

"We should get you back to Fenton Works, you're gonna need bandages on those..." Kwan trailed.

Sam gave him a stern look. "We're not going back to Fenton Works because I got a boo-boo." She said, striking out across the field, eager to put as much distance between herself and that hill as possible.

Kwan hurried to catch up to her. "Uh, Sam, it's not just a boo-boo. Your hands look like hamburger meat."

Sam grimaced at the mental image. "That's an exaggeration. A completely unnecessary one, at that." She muttered, eyes scanning the horizons. She ignored the radiating pain winding up her arms from her palms. _Wow, those are tender_, she thought dryly.

Kwan mumbled some half-hearted argument that Sam did not listen too, but did not try to convince her anymore after that. They walked across the park in silence, falling back into their assignments of Sam watching the front, Kwan watching the back.

The silence lasted almost three hours, broken only when Tucker called for an update or when one suggested they change direction. They did not see any more of the creatures as they zig-zagged across the park, which struck Sam as odd. Vaguely, she wondered if any of the others had found anything. Marcus called her shortly after her second alien attack to report that they found a small nest of the things in the parking garage of St. Madeline's, but the ship was no where to be seen. His group took the nest out rather quickly, only losing one person in the process. Sam grimaced at the death, but overall, she was pleased.

Of course, not knowing where Vlad set up his camp was maddening. Sam gritted her teeth as she walked. The dull ache in her muscles protesting her lack of sleep combined with her marathon-distance walking faded as a fresh wave of determination washed through her.

"We haven't checked down there yet," Kwan murmured, pointing toward the far end of the park. Vlad's shield converged with the ground on the other side of a miniature ravine. The ravine was the unofficial back-gate of the park, starting from before when Sam was a child. It was a well-known fact that even though the actual wall that stretched around the park dipped past the ravine by a few yards, the only people who actually went past the ravine were love-bitten, hormonal, sex-crazed teenagers and rebellious stoners. Sam raised an eyebrow.

"I haven't been down there since I was fifteen." She murmured. Even then, at the peak of her rebellious stage, Sam was only brave enough to slink down into the ravine for two minutes, before scurrying back up into the light. "If my memory serves me correctly, though, that ravine is wide enough to conceal a ship."

"What are we waiting for?" Kwan asked.

Sam turned toward the ravine without another word, feeling a deep-seated fear well up in her belly. She rolled her eyes and pushed it away, telling herself that it was not instinct that told her to run, but just the child within her cowering at the thought of setting foot in a place that was for so long forbidden in her mind.

They stepped toward the ravine carefully, silently thanking the manufacturers of their boots for muffling their footsteps on the grass. Sam gripped the Fenton Gun with both hands, holding it before her should something pop out and attack without warning.

They slunk to the edge of the ravine, dropping into an army crawl as they neared the top. Even though the sun was fully risen in the sky, the purple storm clouds overhead made it nearly dark as night. The entire ravine was thrown into a shadow. Sam squinted down into the ravine, and for a moment, she thought the ground was alive. Everything seemed to be moving, shifting, falling into itself and rolling away. Sam blinked quickly, trying to see clearly.

"What the hell?" Kwan whispered, and suddenly, Sam realized what she was seeing.

The nest was huge. Dozens of creatures appeared to be setting up camp in the ravine. Sam could see make-shift forts constructed entirely of tree branches leaning precariously against the back wall of the park, effectively hiding the graffiti decorating the grey bricks.

Every single creature looked directly at the two of them, though, when Kwan spoke. Every muscle in Sam's body froze as a collective growl from the nest swelled to a near-deafening volume in her ears.

"Run!" The word exploded from her belly and tore through her throat, carried out of her lips by a fresh wave of terror.

* * *

**NO MOAR. WAIT TIL TOMORROW. Hopefully fifteen will be written and posted before noon, but if not, it'll be up before midnight.**

**GOODNIGHT.**

**- Tori**


	15. Chapter 15

**...because I'll sleep when I'm dead. Am I right?**

**Sorry about the late update, semi-longish day at B&N. Had dinner with a co-worker. It was beyond fantastic. I think we scared the Taco Bueno workers. Good times.**

**Yeah, still haven't updated Sirens Suck. I'll get to it eventually.**

**Does everyone start school tomorrow? I know both of my siblings do. I don't start 'til Tuesday. If you do start school tomorrow, you're up laaaaate reading this. FOR SHAME.**

**It's almost midnight where I am and I'm pretty much running on empty here. So I'll cut to the chase:**

**Q-and-A corner:  
1. Will Danny be coming back?  
He makes a sort-of-kind-of-not-really-it's-actually-a-figment-of-Sam's-imagination appearance in this chapter. It's not really him. But, relax. I promise you he will come back, the _real_ him, soon. Okay?  
2. Do you have anything published?  
Psh-shaw. I wish. Maybe someday, soon. I'm working on something. But as of right now, no, I have nothing published besides the drabbles I wrote out here. And it would be awesome if I could get this stuff published, but due to copyright laws that would be impossible. So, for now, enjoy my writing while it's free. 'Cause I plan to charge one million dollars per book on my first published novel.  
Please, for the love of God, I'm kidding. Again, no filter right now.**

**No character deaths in this chapter.**

**One song is still in the lead, though another has emerged in clearly defined second place. Keep voting, peeps.**

**Still no takers (that I know of) on the Deviant Art challenge.**

**I still don't own Danny Phantom or anything else you recognize in this chapter.**

**And now, boys and girls, I am going to sleep.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Fifteen**

**August 26, 2012**

* * *

Kwan and Sam scrambled to their feet and tore down the hill as the creatures began to gallop toward them. They flew across the field, heading toward the Fenton's shield. Wildly, Sam wondered if her feet were even touching the ground for how fast she sprinted.

Though, regardless of how fast she was or how wonderful her animal carcass shoes were for running, Kwan was faster. Mentally, she cursed the ex-football star as he inched in front of her, his arms and legs pumping like a well-oiled machine. The oxygen burned her throat as she panted, though Sam did not stop. She heard the creatures just feet behind the two of them, their giant clawed feet slamming into the ground, infuriated growls ripping through their chests.

Kwan chanced a wild glance over his shoulder at Sam. Briefly, their eyes met, before Kwan was turned back toward the shield. Sam thought for a moment that Kwan might fall into that old pattern of high school where he left her high and dry like Dash tortured Danny, but the thought passed when she realized he was reaching for her arm to pull her along, to make her run faster.

In the back of her mind, she remembered scoffing at this sort of thing in action movies. _"I mean, really, what's that gonna do? Holding hands just makes you slower when you run."_ She'd said to a grinning Tucker and Danny. But now, in the context and situation she was in, reaching out and seizing Kwan's hand was the most sensible and natural thing in the world. The moment his fingers closed around her wrist, her steps nearly doubled in length. It seemed as if Kwan had been holding back in his speed in desperation to stick with Sam. She was struck by his loyalty only for a moment; the moment passed when one of the creatures released a terrible, snarling bark that sounded just inches away from Sam's left ear.

"_There_!" Sam screamed. The Fenton's shield was finally, mercifully in sight. Kwan leaned forward, tightened his grip on Sam's wrist, and bee-lined directly toward the shield. Sam clung to his arm and prayed that she would not trip.

She ended up tripping. But only after she passed safely through the shield, and only because Kwan tripped as well and dragged her down with him. So, really, she was dragged down. She ended up on her stomach with the little wind in her lungs knocked clean out of her body, regardless.

Sam gasped and rolled to her back, sitting up and scrambling away from the shield. As Kwan made the same movements, the aliens began savagely beating at the shield, to no avail. Sam and Kwan sat in silence, watching the attack while attempting to catch their breath.

"We need...to warn...Tucker," Sam choked through her gasps. Kwan nodded, closing his eyes and breathing deeply through his nose. Sam turned back to the beasts and rubbed at the stitch in her chest, ignoring the way her fingers caught on Danny's necklace, still safely tucked beneath her shirt.

The beasts were still attempting to break through the shield when the two stood. The hesitated, watching a moment longer, before turning and setting off to City Hall. They walked in silence. Sam winced at the stinging pain of her palms, idly wondering if they were infected already. It was unbearably warm, but she did not dare remove the jacket, especially after it saved her back on the hill. So she (very poorly) ignored the sweat trickling down her back and beading on her brow and the sides of her face.

They passed through the main entrance of City Hall, turning and staring at the few members of Tucker's Board who agreed to stay behind. They were hurridly organizing food, water, and places to sleep for the army; they scarcely spared a glance at Sam and Kwan before diving back into their work. Though, Sam noticed one of them did a double take at her face as she walked by, making her wonder how bad her face was shredded.

Sam wanted to be surprised when she saw Harvey awake and sticking red tacks in a large map of the city when she emerged onto the third floor with Kwan, but in all honesty she was not. He glanced around when Sam and Kwan appeared, grinning sheepishly at the stern look Sam was giving him.

"I already got an earfull from Valerie," He said, turning back to the map. Sam rolled her eyes and brushed her shoulder against his as she passed toward Tucker's office, giving him a small smile when he looked over at her.

"Holy shit, you two look like hell!" Tucker exclaimed when Kwan threw his office door open. Tucker was sitting behind his desk, studying the small television connected to the security cameras, with Valerie standing over his shoulder. They both rushed around the desk toward Kwan and Sam as Kwan and Sam stopped in the center of the office. "What the hell happened?"

"We found a nest," Sam said, wincing at how strangled and hoarse her voice sounded.

Tucker paled. "Where?" He asked in a hushed voice.

"At the park, down in the ravine. The ship's not there." Valerie ushered Sam into a seat as Sam spoke. Tucker did the same for Kwan. "There are at least thirty of them down there."

"How did you guys get away?" Valerie murmured, leaning against the edge of Tucker's desk.

Sam looked at Kwan. "We ran. Really, really fast." Kwan shrugged.

"_Shit_." Silence swelled between them. Sam felt her eyelids drooping. She glanced at the clock on Tucker's wall. 11:54 AM. _Eleven more hours?_ She thought, desperation for sleep nearly making her cry.

"Where's Dash?" Kwan's question snapped her out of her self-pitying thoughts. She looked around the office, only just noticing the hulking blonde's absence.

"He's at Fenton Works with Jazz and Micah." Valerie said.

"What are they doing there?" Sam asked, hoping the answer was sleeping.

But, of course, it wasn't. "Jazz remembered this invention her dad came up with a while back. The Fenton Ecto-Audio Sonar. It was supposed to lock in to a ghost's location based on the sounds it makes, but it ended up working more like a radio. They could communicate with ghosts, but it wouldn't locate them. Apparently it still works, because Jack goes down there and gets messages from ghosts all the time. Usually they're just messing with him." Valerie laughed a little, looking to Tucker.

"Apparently, it works through the ghost shield." Tucker said. "Jazz thinks - and I have to say, I agree with her - if we turn the radio on, there's a chance Jack or Maddie will remember it and try to connect to it from outside Amity."

"Wait, I thought it only connected to ghosts." Sam said. Tucker and Valerie exchanged a glance.

"Yeah...and Danny's half ghost." Tucker said gently. Suddenly, Sam felt very slow and stupid. "Hopefully, they'll figure out something's going on before Danny leaves Rome. They'll all come back together and we'll work this out."

Sam bit down on her tongue, hard, in an effort to block out the tears suddenly welling in her eyes. She did not listen as their conversation turned toward sleeping arrangements. She was so lost in her self-pitying world that she only snapped out of it when she subconsciously clenched her hands into fists, digging her nails into her lacerated palms.

"Fuck!" She shouted, lurching forward and straightening her fingers. This only intensified the pain, she found; she let her hands fall limply to her lap as the tears began to fall down her face and into her wounds.

"She needs to go to the infirmary, now." Kwan said forcefully, standing and pulling Sam to her feet. He kept one arm around her shoulders, letting her lean into his large frame, and lead her toward the office doors. Sam closed her eyes and let herself zone out, ignoring the sting of her salty tears in the cuts across her face. She allowed Kwan to lead her all the way down and out of the front doors of the building, only partially aware that Tucker and Valerie were following. A single car horn blast made her jerk, her eyes flying open, before she realized that it was only the locks of Kwan's car unlocking. She let Kwan usher her into the back seat, leaning against him heavily when he crawled in behind her.

She heard Tucker saying something about calling the rest of the troops back from the driver's seat, and that thirty-nine hours of continuous high stress was not a good idea in hindsight. A wave of relief clashed with a pang of annoyance in her mind; the rational part of her knew that she needed sleep in order to function in the battlefield, when she returned to it, but that little rebel in her head that always seemed to get her way was outraged at the implication that she was too weak to handle the fight.

In the end, the rational part won out. She opened her eyes just long enough to shuffle up the stairs with Kwan's hand on the small of her back, cross the living room and the kitchen of the Fenton's house, carefully pick her way down the staircase, before stumbling into the basement-turned-lab-turned-infirmary. She glanced quickly over the room, spotting Dash, Jazz, and Micah hunched over some machine in the far corner, before Paulina's face filled her line of vision.

"What happened?" The Latina girl demanded sharply of Kwan. Sam glanced around at him, feeling a strange pang when she saw him burying his face in Star's blonde locks.

"Hm?" He said, looking up at Paulina with a glazed stare. Paulina cocked an eyebrow, her tell, and Kwan suddenly sobered. "She has a lot of cuts. Nothing serious. She just needs sleep. We both do," He added, turning his attention back to Star.

Paulina huffed and took Sam by the elbow and lead her toward a ratty, ancient cot. Sam was so tired she did not even protest when Paulina gently-but-firmly pushed her into a lying position on the cot and began to fuss over her face and hands. She murmured something in Spanish repeatedly as she worked, irking Sam just enough to force her to pop one eye open.

"What are you saying?" Sam whispered. Paulina looked up, startled, as if she forgot she was working over a real human being as opposed to a practice dummy.

"Oh...está bien con mi alma. It means, 'it is well with my soul.' My mother would say it to me every time I got hurt when I was a little girl, I always found it comforting. I guess I'm more like her than I thought," Paulina laughed a little, turning her attention back to a particularly deep gash on the inside of Sam's right palm. Sam let her head tilt back into the pillow.

She completely forgot about her parents. She sent a quick thank you up to whoever decided to send them on a trip to Athens the morning of a ghostly hiest. She would have never heard the end of it if they were here when it started; _'Sammy, dove, you simply must come to the bunker with us. Fighting is for the men, please, you have to preserve that precious face!' 'Mantha-Pie, you know how I feel about you fighting. Especially someone like this Vlad character. Why don't you sit this one out, huh, darlin'?'_

Behind her closed eyelids, she pictured their faces as they spoke to her. "Darling," Her mother cooed. "We are so _proud_ of you. You are _so_ brave. I once prayed so hard for a perfect princess for a daughter. But I'm so pleased that I got you instead. You are absolutely precious. You are wonderful. I love you, my sweet girl."

"'Mantha-Pie!" Her father boomed, and she smiled at her nickname. "I could not be more proud of you. There aren't words to describe how proud I am to call you my daughter. Keep fighting, slugger. Kick some serious alien ass!"

Sam chuckled as her parent's faces swirled together, shifting and morphing into Danny's. Her smile faded as she stared at him. "Sam?" He breathed. "I...I want to tell you that what you're doing is wrong. I wanna say that it's stupid, and brash, and dangerous. I want to be mad at you for doing this. I want to tell you to hide until Vlad is gone and I come find you." He paused, his twinkling cobalt eyes full of emotion. But then, one corner of his mouth tugged upward into a small, crooked smile. "But I can't. Because I'm so damn proud of you." Sam felt herself smiling, hanging on his every word. "You are so perfect, so beautiful, inside and out." He glanced down at the ground, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. "I...I don't like that you're out there, fighting Vlad and those..._things_. I really don't like that I'm not there to offer at least some protection. But," He dropped his hand and straightened, his eyes suddenly flashing green when he blinked. "that anger is directed at Vlad. I am nothing but proud of you, Sam."

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Sam knew she had faded from thoughts to dreams, but she did not care enough to wake up. She simply rolled to her right side, smiling a little as she felt Danny's necklace slipping across her chest as it succumbed to the temptations of gravity, and drifted off into unconsciousness.

* * *

**Wow. That almost made me throw up from the sweetness. Ew. We'll get back to the action next chapter.**

**'Til then.**

**- Tori**


	16. Chapter 16

**Running late for work, so I'm gonna make this quick:**

**This chapter is irritatingly short. But it works.**

**No character deaths.**

**The song in second place is slowly catching up to first place. Keep voting.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

**ON WITH THE SHOW.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Sixteen**

**August 27, 2012**

* * *

Sam jerked awake some time later. Her body was stiff and sluggish, her muscles cramping spastically in her neck and shoulders. She winced and pressed her fingertips against the knots in her muscles. She heaved a trembling sigh.

Her dreams of Danny and her parents quickly changed to nightmares of Vlad and the aliens. She would be running through Amity Park when they cornered her and killed her. She would be in City Hall and find Tucker, Valerie, Kwan, and Dash, all dead. Her eyes flew open as the image of Tucker's mangled body solidified behind her eyelids. That one was just a bit too real for her.

She ran a hand through her hair and glanced across the Fenton's Lab. The other twenty or so cots were taken by other sleeping figures, a few of which had blood-and-dirt-stained bandages wound around various body parts. The corner where Sam saw Dash, Jazz, and Micah working before she fell asleep was now inhabited by Harvey, who had his back turned to Sam, leaning heavily across the desk. Sam stood and stretched her back, keeping her eyes on the back of Harvey's head as she did. She padded through the cots slowly, checking to see if Kwan was in one of them. She spotted him toward the back of the room, next to the closed ghost portal.

"Hey Harv," Her voice was rough and scratching against her raw throat. She cleared her throat as Harvey looked around, tired smile on his lips.

"What's up, Sam?" He asked, gesturing for her to sit in the vacant chair to his right. She obliged, propping her elbow on the desk and holding her face in her hand. An odd texture rubbed against her cheek; she glanced down and realized several layers of gauze protected her wounds. She shrugged.

"Oh, you know. Napping." They chuckled. "What are you doing over here?"

The chuckle died in Harvey's eyes. He glanced at a rather sophisticated-looking machine against the wall behind the desk. "Tucker asked me to stay here in case the Fentons try to connect," Sam dropped her gaze to the metal-topped table beneath her elbow. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Has there been anything, yet?" She asked quietly, refusing to lift her gaze.

"Nothing." He said gently. Sam chanced a gaze at Harvey, to find him looking sympathetic. Sam looked down and clenched her jaw.

"Where's Tucker?" Sam asked, leaning backwards and closing her eyes.

"At City Hall again." Harvey said. Sam sensed his apology, which frustrated her.

"Has he slept at all?" She demanded, wincing a little at the sharpness in her tone.

Harvey nodded. "Once he realized you were asleep, he and Valerie slept for about two hours." Sam's head snapped toward Harvey at his words.

"Two hours?" She asked. "How long was I asleep?"

"Six hours." Harvey said. Sam felt the color drain from her face. "Hey, you needed it." Harvey leaned forward and squeezed her forearm. "In fact, Tucker mentioned he wanted you to get eight, so -"

"I'm not going back to sleep." Sam snapped, shoving backwards from the table and getting to her feet. "You said he's at City Hall?"

Harvey pressed his lips together in a hard line, looking sorry he mentioned it. He nodded. Sam turned away from him and walked directly out of the lab without another word. Her vision was tinged with red; fury pounded through her veins. The most enraging part about it was that Sam did not understand why she was so mad. This happened every time someone mentioned Danny, she realized as she stomped down the front steps of Fenton Works. Something about the understanding looks they gave her every time his name was mentioned made her feel inferior. She gritted her teeth. _Have they forgotten that I'm the only one who had the balls to snap him out of his lazy trance before the Disasteroid? If it weren't for me, Danny wouldn't have gone back in the portal. Everyone would have died. In fact, if it weren't for me, he wouldn't have gone into the portal at all. Ever. I'm the reason Danny Phantom even exists. Why is everyone treating me like he's the one that made me? Like I'm incapable of surviving without him swooping in and saving me every three seconds?_

She balled her hands into fists, pleased to find that the gauze protected her hands from her fingernails. _Furthermore, why is everyone treating me like I'm on my deathbed? I'm tougher than all of these people combined. Well...maybe not Valerie. But everyone else, I can take in a heartbeat_. She clenched her jaw, refusing the temptation to glance up at the giant statue of Danny Phantom as she passed by it._ Looks like it's time to remind these bitches who I am_.

She swept through the front entrance of City Hall without so much as a sideways glance at Tucker's Board members. She bypassed the elevator and took the stairs up to the floor, taking them two at a time. She breezed into the reception area of Tucker's office and burst through the doors without knocking.

Tucker and Valerie looked around when Sam entered. "You weren't supposed to be up for another two hours," Tucker said apprehensively, glancing at the clock.

Sam lifted a hand to silence him. "Save it, will you?" She snapped. "We have work to do."

"Sam -" Valerie started.

"_Save it_!" Sam barked. Valerie clamped her mouth shut immediately, her eyes widening as she glanced at Tucker. "I'm not gonna lay around and sleep all day when Vlad's out there with an army. You can forget it. Okay?" Valerie and Tucker nodded. "Good. We need to rethink our strategy. Going out there in shifts isn't working, there are too many of those aliens. We need everyone out there at once."

"You guys need to avoid the park." Tucker said, turning to the map. Sam noticed several bright red tacks were stuck in the map at the back of the park; flagging the nest. She swallowed hard, remembering the sounds of the creature's feet beating against the ground just a little too clearly. "Now that we know what to expect, more people can explore the business district. Marcus and his guys didn't get very far over there. There's still a chance that the ship's down in that area somewhere."

"Have we thought about checking here?" Valerie pointed to the shopping district. "I mean, think about it. There are tons of parking garages down there, several of them are big enough to fit Vlad's stupid ship. He could be hiding there."

Sam pondered Valerie's last statement for a moment. _'He could be hiding there.'_ That was so unlike Vlad, to hide. He flaunted himself in every situation. He was proud and arrogant. "He won't be hiding," Sam said slowly.

Tucker and Valerie stared at Sam as if she had officially lost her mind. "What do you mean?" Tucker asked cautiously.

"He won't be hiding. Think about it. Vlad doesn't hide. He's too arrogant. He'll be out in the open. He'll assume that we're too weak to make it to his ship. He'll display it, he'll think he's taunting us with it by putting it in plain sight."

Valerie was still staring at Sam, blinking rapidly. "You're right." She said, turning back to the map. "Of course. Okay, where would Vlad land a ship?"

"Somewhere where he knows we'll be looking." Tucker muttered.

"Somewhere important." said Sam.

"Somewhere hard to get to." Valerie murmured.

They were silent for a moment, pondering the map. "Okay...Tucker. You're Vlad. You've been banished from Earth for five years. You're pissed. You're ready for revenge. What do you do?"

"Attack Amity Park." Tucker said immediately.

"When?"

"When the most people are in town. But _not_ when Maddie's in town."

"What's your goal?"

"Destroy the town. Take as many people down with it as possible. And then use that to try to take over the world." Valerie rolled her eyes, fidgeting in anger.

"Why wait until Danny's not around as well?"

Tucker hesitated, furrowing his brow. "I...would want him to see it. I would want him to watch. I would want him alive long enough to know that everything and everyone he cares about is gone, and that can't happen if he's in town. So I wait until he's gone, and then I attack."

"Publicly?" Sam asked.

Again, Tucker hesitated. "Not at first." He said finally. "Eventually, yeah. The whole world needs to know what I'm capable of. But only until I'm sure I have the upper hand."

"And you get the upper hand by..."

"Killing you." Tucker paled. "Vlad's trying to kill you?"

Sam grimaced. "Either that, or he's trying to make Danny think I'm dead. Why else would he bomb my apartment over twelve hours before the fight was set to start?"

"So...so there's a possibility that Danny already knows, at this very moment, that something's going on?" Valerie asked, a whole new type of fear radiating in her eyes.

"Maybe." Sam shrugged. "But that's not why we're doing this. Tuck, you're still Vlad. You want me dead. You want Danny to think I'm dead. You plan on taking the city out. Where do you park?"

"Where your apartment was." The words seemed to flow involuntarily from Tucker's mouth. The three fell silent, absorbing the new shock. "Shit. He's parked on top of your apartment."


	17. Chapter 17

**Bloody hell, guys.**

**I definitely slept through my very first class of this new semester this morning.**

**SHIT.**

**Ah well. Gave me time to work on this.**

**I'm giving up on trying to update Sirens Suck. I'll update it if I get inspiration, but, at this point, this story is my main focus. Which is good news for y'all, I guess. Bad news for those of you reading SS.**

**Okay. Um. I have tomorrow off, but I have plans for later in the evening, so the next chapter will probably be added sometime in the morning/early afternoon.**

**What are my plans, you ask? Well, I scored fourteen tickets to an advanced screening of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. ARE YOU JEALOUS, BITCHES? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.**

**I'm excited about it, in case you couldn't tell.**

**Okay. This chapter is, again, really short. Depressingly so. But it's all important information that you're going to need later on. It's setting up the groundwork for the climb to the climax and the climax itself. I can't believe I'm already on chapter seventeen. There's still so much more of this story in my head. This is definitely going to be my longest fic yet. An epic, if you will.**

**To the song. Last time I checked, which was about an hour ago, fifteen people have voted. The second place song is just two votes behind the first place song. I'm very interested in how this will turn out. Keep voting, you guys. You still have time before the song chapter is written. If you've already voted, find a different computer an****d trick FF into letting you vote again. Tell your friends to vote. If you care.**

**STILL no takers on deviantART. You guys are making me look stupid. So, thanks for that, I guess.**

**Okay, I'm gonna get back to reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower and drowning out my surroundings by blasting Panic! At The Disco on my phone. Enjoy, my pretties.**

**Oh. I don't own Danny Phantom.**

**Okay, NOW enjoy, my pretties.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Seventeen**

**August 28, 2012**

* * *

"Okay, hold on," Valerie said sharply. "We don't know that for sure. He could be somewhere else..."

Sam ignored her, smiling inwardly when Tucker did the same. "Have you checked the security cameras over there since the explosion?"

"No," Tucker shook his head, rushing around his desk and snatching the remote to the television off of his desk. "I didn't even think about it, I assumed the bomb explosion would be the end of it."

"Check," Sam instructed as Tucker started pressing buttons wildly. The screen, showing a still shot of Main Street in the business district, flickered and flashed to white. Tucker hit a few more buttons until the screen was full of the remains of Sam and Valerie's apartment. Right in the center of the crater sat a large, brown, sleek and shining ship. The ship itself and the area around it was completely motionless. _He's not even guarding it?_ Sam thought incredulously. _What an arrogant, assuming, self-absorbed prick._

"There he is," Sam breathed. The three were silent, staring in disbelief at the screen.

"Alright. Let's mark it on the map and get this information out to everyone else." Tucker said, suddenly all business. As he grabbed a large yellow tack and maneuvered his way to the map, Sam crouched closer to the screen. The shambles of what was once her apartment were crushed beneath the thick metal legs of the ship. She grimaced. If she had any hope of any of her belongings surviving the blast before, they were crushed right along with the building beneath Vlad's ship.

Sam looked around when Tucker's office door clicked shut. Tucker was still staring at the map, but Valerie disappeared. Tucker felt Sam's stare and glanced around at her. "She went to tell everyone else what's going on." He explained. Sam nodded.

"What do we do now that we know where the ship is?" Sam asked, suddenly nervous.

Tucker shrugged, never taking his eyes from the map. "There's gotta be a weakness. They're not impenetrable. Somehow, somewhere, there's a weakness. We've got to figure out what it is."

Sam clenched her jaw, stood, and took the place to Tucker's left. "The nest is here," Sam pointed to the ravine in the park, toward the top left corner of the map, "and the ship is here." She pointed to the bottom right corner of the map. "Why are they so spread out?"

"Maybe they're trying to surround us?" Tucker said slowly. Sam bit her lower lip. "Maybe they're waiting for the opportunity to ambush us?" Tucker suddenly straightened and snapped his fingers. "Maybe they're waiting for the shield to go down to attack!"

"Maybe," Sam said, not feeling quite as enthusiastic about the theory. They were quiet for a moment.

"Or...you know, based off the theory that Vlad's trying to kill you, specifically...maybe he knew you would go to the park first, so he set up a nest down there to wait for you..." Tucker looked terrified by this new possibility. Sam turned her head and blinked rapidly at him.

_That actually makes some sense_, she thought. "There were three of them before we found the nest. Kwan and I killed two, but...the third one...almost killed me." Tucker clenched his jaw, looking ready to hit someone. "And it was on the hill."

"The hill?" Tucker's eyes clouded in confusion.

"You know..._the hill_. The hill where Danny and I...you know...oh, please, _don't_ make me say it..."

Tucker brightened in understanding. "Oh!" He said. He nodded, and placed his hand on Sam's upper arm. "That must have been awful."

"You know what?" Sam said, feeling that righteous fury from before welling up inside her like poison. "I'm _sick_ of everyone acting like I'm some ninety-year-old widow! Stop treating me like I'm some poor little orphan every time Danny's name is mentioned! I can handle myself without him, I've _always_ been able to handle myself!" Tucker backed away, his eyes wide and mouth open to apologize. "Everyone's been treating me like without him, I'm nothing." Sam growled, cutting Tucker off. "You guys seem to have forgotten that _I'm_ the one that dared him to go into the ghost portal in the first place. _I'm_ the reason Danny Phantom even exists. _Not_ the other way around!"

Tucker remained quite still, watching Sam breathe noisily through wide eyes. _He's gonna apologize again, but nothing's gonna change_, she thought angrily.

"You're right." He said it so quietly that Sam thought for a moment that she may have just imagined it. The rage flooded directly out of her body when she realized that she had not imagined it. She deflated faster than any balloon. "You're absolutely right. Sometimes I forget that you're Sam. I forget that you're a hard ass." He chuckled. "But you're right. I shouldn't be acting like you're weak because Danny's not here. I haven't been doing in consciously, but looking back, I realize that I have been treating you differently. We all have. You, of all people, have earned the right to be treated like the kick-ass ninja you are."

Sam laughed. "Damn straight," She chortled. Tucker stuck his hand out, which Sam took. Their palms slapped together loudly. "Don't you forget it." She said mock-threateningly, squeezing his hand in hers.

"Wouldn't dare." Tucker said solemnly. "Now, come on. Let's get a strategy together."

After Valerie, Dash, and Kwan arrived back at City Hall, the five sat around Tucker's desk and drew up a battle plan. They would be out in full-force, half concentrated in the park, half at Sam and Valerie's apartment. At first, Sam was desperate to go to the park again, just to savor watching Vlad's plan crumble as she unleashed her pent-up fury with Amity Park on the aliens, but Tucker vehemently refused to allow it. He insisted on Sam going to the apartments with Dash and Kwan. Valerie would lead the park brigade.

"You would be doing exactly what he wants you to do." Tucker said firmly as Sam pleaded. She huffed and fell backwards in her chair, falling heavily against the back rest. "Relax. You'll get your chance to fight him. But that can only happen if we figure out the weakness."

"Assuming there _is_ one." Dash said, raising an eyebrow in his cynicism.

Sam carefully selected the phrase she would respond with, choosing one that was just a little insulting to Dash. But before she could retort, Valerie lashed out against Dash. "This is Vlad we're talking about, dip-shit. Of _course_ there's a weakness. In fact, with his brains, there's probably a self-destruct button on the underbelly of the ship."

Sam and Tucker snorted because they knew there was a shred of truth to the statement. "Anyways," Tucker said, still shaking his head at Valerie. "We need to get as close as possible to the ship. If possible, we need to get _on_ the ship. Sam, that's where you come in."

"You want me to get on the actual ship? Like, _inside_?" Her heart fluttered nervously beneath Danny's necklace. "Look, I know I said earlier that I'm basically a ninja, but...seriously? Are you trying to get me killed?"

"Vlad's gonna think you're in the park." Tucker said calmly. "His focus will be there. But you're right, sending you onto the ship is beyond dangerous. Which is why Dash and Kwan are both going with you."

Sam nodded, suddenly understanding. "Okay. But Harvey and Marcus are going with Valerie to the park, right?"

"Of course." He nodded. "And so am I. But I think Dash and Kwan can probably protect you a bit better than me or Harvey or Marcus. None of us played college football." Kwan and Dash glanced at each other, goofy grins plastered across their faces.

"Don't worry, Sam," Kwan said, confidence radiating from his face. "We'll protect you."

"Like bodyguards!" Dash said cheerfully. Sam could not resist the temptation to roll her eyes.

"Alright. _Fine_. I'll sneak on to the stupid ship, and I'll babysit these _morons_ while I do it." The grins on Dash and Kwan's faces widened, if possible. "Shit, Tucker. If I survive this, you owe me. Majorly."

* * *

**Random tidbit...is it weird that every time I see a pregnant teenager walking around, I automatically check for camera crews following them around? I hate all the teen mom stuff going on, but...idk. It's like an involuntary reaction.**

**The reason I bring that up is because a pregnant chick just walked past the table I'm sitting at and I looked for the MTV camera crew. Haha.**

**Not to suggest that I think down on teen moms. I admire their strength and determination when they are able to complete school and raise a child at the same time. I just really hate that TV show. A lot.**

**- Tori**


	18. Chapter 18

**Felt guilty with the crappy little chapter I just posted, so I decided to add another one today.**

**Let's assume everything is still the same as it was last time I updated. Which was, like, four hours ago.**

_If you haven't read chapter seventeen yet, please do. I've updated twice in a very short period of time again. Please make sure you've read the previous chapter before you start in on this one._

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

**There is a significant character death in this chapter. THERE IS A DEATH IN THIS CHAPTER.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Eighteen**

**August 28, 2012**

* * *

On the walk from City Hall to the remains of her apartment, the only noises that reached Sam were the sounds of her army's boots hitting the concrete. The city was deathly still and deathly silent, which was so odd for Amity Park, especially at that time of day, right as the sun was starting to set. Even in the middle of the night, there was always the sounds of horns honking, radios blasting, and the distant, but ever-present, screams signalling a ghost attack. But now, there was nothing. No one. Sam glanced to her right. Dash was there in the corner of her vision, facing forward, face dead-set in determination for their mission. But Sam paid him little mind. Her eyes roved over the empty storefronts and abandoned houses. She wondered if she would live long enough to see them inhabited again.

She was struck with a sudden thought: _is this how Danny feels every time he heads toward a fight? Is this fear always there for him?_ She pondered it, thinking back to the way he always rushed to her after Skulker or Technus or whoever it was that week was sucked into the Thermos. How he would crush her against his chest, breathing deeply into her hair. Before, she thought it was just to reassure himself that she was safe. But now, on the other end of the situation, she wondered if it was actually him reassuring himself that he, in fact, was safe. As if she was his lifeline, and he was clinging to it with all his might.

Sam turned to her left and snuck a glance at Kwan. He wore a similar expression as Dash, she noted. She blinked and behind her closed eyelids, she pictured him holding Star when they returned from the park just a few hours earlier. The way he seemed to lose himself in her. She wondered if Kwan would get to see Star again. She glanced back at Dash.

Dash felt her gaze and turned to her. He offered her a weak smile, which she tried to return. Feelings of distrust urged her to edge toward Kwan, but she pushed through them and forced a smile, which, when she thought about it later, probably looked more like a grimace. Dash's smile faltered and he looked as if he would very much like to ask her was she was thinking about, but he seemed to think twice about it. He merely turned his gaze back to the horizon, though Sam noticed he tightened his grip on the butt of his Fenton Gun.

When Sam had to speak, her voice sounded loud and obnoxious in her ears. "Okay, does everyone remember the plan?" She winced before turning to face the army, walking backwards with long strides to keep Dash and Kwan's pace. The gaggle of people behind her nodded, and a few murmured that they did. "Good."

It was a relatively simple plan. They would split into two groups a block away from the remains; half would storm the front of the ship, hopefully causing enough of a distraction to allow the other half to circle around the block and ambush the ship from behind. Sam, Dash, and Kwan would be with the second string, in the back, so that even if the first half was not enough of a distraction, the second half would hopefully allow the three to sneak on board.

Sam closed her eyes when they reached the shield, a flutter of anxiety rising in her stomach that had nothing to do with the heist they were about to attempt. Despite several independent tests by people in the army, all with consistent positive outcomes, she still worried every time she passed through the Fenton's shield. She had witnessed Danny, Jack, and Tucker all get fried by the shield when it was in its' early stages of development. She was not keen to experience it herself.

But, as usual, the bracelets worked perfectly. Sam passed through the shield harmlessly, turning her head to glance back as Dash and Kwan melted through as well. They continued moving forward as the rest of their army slipped through. When everyone was on Vlad's side of the shield, Sam gave the signal for the cluster of people to split up.

She pulled the Fenton Gun from her belt as she began carefully picking her way down an alley, keeping her back to the wall as she stalked through the shadows. She did not look back, but she knew Dash, Kwan, and the others were just behind her from the heavy footfalls that echoed off the alley walls. She splashed through a small, muddy puddle without so much as a backwards glance, keeping her eyes on the far end of the alley, which was rapidly approaching. She listened closely for the sounds of a commencing battle, but she could only hear footsteps heavy breathing and her heart beating, which was loud in her ears.

Sam rounded the corner of the alley, finding the next turn split off in two different directions. She slipped down the alley and stuck to the left, praying she would not get them lost. While she lived with her parents, she would often sneak out in the middle of the night and wander the streets alone. It was the only way she found any peace with her sunshine-and-daisies parents. She got to where she knew the back streets and allies better than the main roads, which came in handy after Danny got his ghost powers. Whenever they needed to disappear, the boys would turn to Sam, eyes blazing in panick, and she would seize their wrists and drag them into the dark back roads of Amity Park. But now that she lived on her own, she no longer needed to sneak away to find peace. Her home with Valerie was an oasis. She nearly kicked herself. She felt completely exposed.

But, as luck would have it, she ended up leading them to the exact place they needed to be. Vlad's ship loomed over the crater, which was much larger in person; it was at least the diameter of a football field, probably more. It cast a long shadow across the debris that once made up the homes of so many people. Off in the distance, close to where the front desk once stood, Sam could see the other half of their army fighting a large cluster of aliens. They kicked up the smoke that had long-since settled, throwing the battle into a rather terrifying dusty haze. Sam squinted. There were far too many of them over there to see what was really going on from where she stood.

A finger prodded her, hard, in the shoulder. She turned and saw Dash inches from her face. He did not speak, but his eyebrows shooting up into his hairline was enough of a message: _Let's go!_

Sam motioned for the rest of the army to storm out of the alley, crouching and watching as they took off across the crater. She waited until they were about half-way across before she stood. The muscles in her legs were tingling, adrenaline pumping through her veins and making her fidget. She glanced back at Dash and Kwan, who each nodded once, a solemn sentiment. She clenched her jaw.

The sunlight struck her eyes hard as she emerged from the alley. She squinted through it, coughing a little as she breathed in the dust the army kicked up as they ran off. She felt Dash and Kwan at her heels, flanking her on either side as she ran.

They were stopped before they could even reach the ship. Not by aliens, as Sam expected. No, it was Vlad himself who materialized out of thin air and blocked their path. Sam nearly ran directly into him. If it were not for Dash reaching out and seizing her upper arm, she would have landed directly across Vlad's chest.

"Ah, ah, ah," Vlad tutted. "I don't think that would be the wisest choice, my little duck." His clawed hand darted out from his side, reaching for Sam's neck, but she leapt backwards. Vlad's fist closed on thin air.

Sam moved to aim the Fenton Gun at Vlad's head, but he was too quick for her. He pointed his finger and Sam felt the cool metal yank out of her hand. It clattered to the ground, followed quickly by two similar clatters, and Sam knew Vlad had cheated and taken Dash and Kwan's guns as well.

Suddenly, the Fenton Phones in her ears beeped twice, long and loud, signalling that Tucker was contacting everyone and overriding the option to ignore his call. "Everyone get back to City Hall, _NOW_!" He was screaming, bellowing. Fear coiled in her stomach and solidified in her throat, cutting off her breathing.

"What do you want, Vlad?" She whispered, not daring to speak should her voice shake. Vlad smirked.

"You. Dead." And he lunged forward again. This time, Sam was not fast enough. His fingers closed around her throat and he squeezed. Tumultuous sound rose up in her ears; Kwan and Dash were screaming, Vlad was screaming, aliens were bearing down on them, Tucker was shouting instructions, her heart was thundering, blood was pounding. The only sound missing was oxygen flooding into and out of her lungs rhythmically.

The sensation was over as her foot, which had gone numb, connected to Vlad's groin. He dropped her immediately and Dash was screaming for her to run, but Sam merely stumbled backwards, unable to tear her eyes away from Vlad. He was snarling at her, bent and holding himself as waves of pain washed through him. She laughed and the sound was far away and strangled.

Suddenly, Vlad lunged forward and swung at her. She felt four sharp objects shred the side of her face. Someone cried out. She fell backwards, throwing her hands before her, and hit the ground. Hard.

And then Dash was there, standing over her and swinging wildly at Vlad. Sam heard fists connecting to flesh as something grabbed her upper arms and began to pull. She looked up blindly to find Kwan leaning over her, attempting to pull her to her feet. She pushed his hands away and scrambled to a standing position. Kwan shouted something Sam could not understand to Dash and seized her hand. He began to run across the crater in a wide arc, circling around the place where the rest of their army was fighting the aliens and trying to retreat. Sam felt something warm on her face, but she ignored it and kept running. Tucker was still screaming in her ears.

The aliens chased the group until they passed through the Fenton's shield again. They paused, some doubled over with their hands on their knees, until they caught their breath again. They glanced up at the pack of snarling aliens pressing themselves against the shield. They moved away quickly after that.

The warm feeling on Sam's cheek was still spreading. She reached up and touched it gingerly. She pulled her fingers away and stared blindly at the ruby-red blood glistening on her fingertips.

"What the _hell_ was that?" Dash bellowed. Sam turned, hand still held before her face, and saw him stalking toward her. He stopped just inches from her, and seized her upper arms. His hands were so large that they nearly swallowed the length of her arms. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I-I..." Sam stuttered. Dash's anger caught her off-guard.

"We were telling you to run, what were you _doing_? Were you trying to get us _killed_?" He roared. His hands tightened on her arms and Sam winced. Blood was starting to trickle down her jaw and slip under the collar of her shirt.

"Dash, relax." Kwan said sharply. But Dash appeared to have not heard him.

"Why don't you trust me? Hm?" He shook her slightly, just enough to snap her out of her daze.

Her face hardened and she twisted her arms up, ripping them out of Dash's grasp. "Don't yell at me!" She shouted. stepping backwards from Dash.

"I'll do what I want, answer my question!" Veins were bulging in Dash's neck, and for a moment, he bore a striking resemblance to Vlad. Sam grit her teeth together.

"You've never given me a reason to trust you!" She screamed. "For years, you tortured me and my best friends, but the second you find out one of them is secretly your hero, you turn all nice. Just because Danny and Tucker trust you doesn't mean I have to!"

Dash blinked. He looked as if Sam had slapped him. Which, she thought, she basically had. Verbally. "I'm not that easy. You have to earn my trust." She spat.

She turned and stalked away, not caring if the others followed. Tucker had gone silent, which worried her, but she was to angry to really think about it. She stormed all the way to City Hall without glancing back, though she heard footfalls behind her. At least a few followed her, if not all.

She motioned for the others to continue on to Fenton Works to get bandaged up as she climbed the front steps to City Hall. Her anger, while it was still there, had diminished significantly, taking her energy with it. She was shuffling by the time she pushed the front doors open.

Tucker and Valerie were waiting for her in the entry way. They both looked like hell; pale, sweating, coated in a layer of dirt and dust, and bleeding. Though not as significantly as Sam.

Valerie reached for her the moment Sam neared, wiping the blood from her cheek with a towel without saying a word. Tucker eyed the wound, but sensed Sam's mood, and did not ask.

"Why retreat?" Sam asked tiredly as Valerie handed the now blood-stained towel to Sam.

"We were overwhelmed, and someone with y'all sent a signal out on the Fenton Phones saying that you guys weren't much better off." Tucker shifted from foot to foot. "We lost five or six people."

Despair washed through Sam. "I don't know if we lost anyone," She admitted. "I couldn't see."

"What do you mean?" Valerie asked, eyebrows knit together.

"Vlad was there. In the fight. He gave me these," She pointed to her face, which was still bleeding slightly. "Nearly choked me to death, but I kicked him in the balls and he dropped me."

"Nice." Tucker did not sound happy at all. He glanced at Valerie, some emotion flickering in his eyes. Sam realized it was anxiety. "Sam...one of the people who died with us...was...um..."

Valerie briefly touched Tucker's chest. She fixed a level gaze on Sam's face. "Harvey." She whispered.

For the first time since this nightmare started, Sam felt as if she was about to cry. She stumbled backwards. Harvey. Dead. It did not make sense. "H-how?" she choked.

"The aliens...their claws...they...well, you know how the stinger on a bee works?" Sam nodded. "The aliens' claws do the same thing. Only, it doesn't kill them."

Sam felt vomit rising in her throat. She was about to demand to know how many others were killed this way, when a deafening, sinister voice crashed against her eardrums.

"Tucker Foley and Samantha Manson. I am summoning you to my ship for the opportunity to discuss a peace treaty. If you are not here and willing to negotiate within the hour, I will unleash my army in full force, and I will instruct them to take no prisoners. Come alone. One hour."

* * *

**RIP**

**Harvey**


	19. Chapter 19

**This chapter was frigging hard to write.**

**Mother effer.**

**I really hope you enjoy it. Because hot damn.**

**You'll understand in a little while.**

**To the song. Still one in the lead. Still only fifteen voters. Keep voting, y'all.**

**No character deaths.**

**I'm too tired to write anything else, so I don't own Danny Phantom.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Nineteen**

**August 29, 2012**

* * *

Silence resonated through City Hall, swelling up between Tucker, Valerie, and Sam like the waves of a typhoon. Tucker's gaze locked with Sam's instantly. She could not identify the emotions blazing there.

"You can't go," Valerie said, glancing between the two. "He'll kill you the second you set foot on the ship!"

"But what if he doesn't?" Sam whispered. Tucker blinked rapidly.

"What if he does?" Valerie countered, cocking her hip and raising an eyebrow.

"There's only one way to find out." Tucker shrugged.

"No. Absolutely not. You two can't go, definitely not alone. He's trying to lure you guys in, he wants you dead!"

"I don't know," Sam said slowly. She was still reeling over the news of Harvey's death, but she pushed those thoughts aside, storing them away with thoughts of Zack, to be digested and processed later. Uncertainty clouded her mind, making it hard to think rationally.

"Vlad likes to torment us." Tucker said. "He won't kill us now, it doesn't make sense. He has a bigger plan. I think we should -"

The front doors burst open and Dash and Kwan stumbled in. They skidded to a halt, though, when they spotted Sam and Tucker. "We thought...you might have..." Kwan said between gasps.

"We thought you guys went just now," Dash clarified, apparently less effected by their sprint to City Hall than Kwan.

"We were talking about it." Tucker nodded, motioning for the boys to join the conversation. Sam felt Dash's gaze on her face as they neared, but she ignored him. "Sam and I want to go. Right, Sam?"

Sam nodded. "I agree with Tucker, I don't think Vlad wants to kill us by asking us to come to the ship. I think he really wants to negotiate."

Sam could see a muscle jumping spastically in Kwan's jaw. "No." He said stiffly.

"You can't exactly stop us." Tucker said.

"My job is to protect you two. _'Protect Sam,'_ you said to me._ 'Keep an eye on Sam,'_ Danny said to me. That's what I'm trying to do. That's what we're all trying to do. It's what I'm doing when I tell you that you two are not going on that ship alone."

Tucker started to argue, but Sam interrupted. "Do you see Danny here?" She demanded sharply.

"No, but -"

"But, nothing. We're both grown-ass adults, I think we reserve the right to make our own decisions. Which is exactly what we're doing, here." She cut in front of Valerie and stood face-to-face with Tucker. "We going, or what?"

"Yep." Tucker smiled impishly. "Let's take the car."

They skirted passed the other three, ignoring their splutters and arguments. Tucker took her hand as they climbed down the stairs.

"Do you think the car will be able to make it back through the shield?" Sam asked suddenly.

Tucker furrowed his brow. "I don't know," He said thoughtfully. "I think so. I mean, we're able to bring the guns and the Jack O' Nine Tails through the shield. I think as long as the bracelets are touching us, and we're touching the object, it'll be able to pass through."

Sam crossed to the passenger's side of Kwan's Jeep as Tucker climbed into the driver's seat. She buckled the seatbelt over herself as Tucker shoved the keys into the ignition and started the engine.

"Do you really think Vlad isn't gonna hurt us?" Sam asked quietly. Tucker turned to her sharply, hands hovering over the steering wheel. He was silent for a few minutes, the only sound between them the pattering of the engine idling.

"I don't know." He said softly. He turned back toward the windshield and put the car in drive. They did not speak again until they passed through the shield.

"Park over there," Sam pointed to the same alley she led her army down not half an our ago. Tucker did as she instructed, pulling into the alleyway just far enough to hide the car in the shadows. They climbed out wordlessly, each silently thanking Dash and Kwan for removing the doors earlier, as they would have hit the walls in that tight squeeze.

The sun was fully dipped beyond the horizon, but there was still a weak light radiating from the sky. It was enough for Sam to see that the crater around the ship was completely empty. There was no sign that a fight even occurred. When they were closer to the place where Vlad attacked her, Sam looked for the Fenton Guns Vlad stole from them, but they were missing.

She was so busy looking that she nearly ran into Tucker, who had stopped short. She peered over his shoulder and nearly blanched. A legion of aliens stood on either side of a ramp leading to the inside of the ship. A low growl started as they edged closer. Tucker shuffled forward, grabbing blindly for Sam's hand.

She huffed, seized his hand, and skirted around him. She kept her face forward and chin high as she marched past the lines of aliens, Tucker in tow.

The inside of the ship was nothing like what Sam was expecting. Every surface her eyes landed upon in the dark hallway were sleek and shining. She could see her face, hazy and distorted, reflected back to her in the walls and ceiling. Tucker's fingers tightened around Sam's hand.

"Welcome, children." Vlad hissed as they neared the end of the long hallway. His voice slithered out from behind a slightly cracked metal door, shrouded in darkness. Sam clenched her jaw and marched toward it, surprised at the lack of fear she felt.

She shoved the door open roughly and squinted through the darkness. She spotted Vlad settled behind a long table. He was smiling, looking completely at ease. "Please, won't you sit?" He gestured to two chairs on the side of the table closer to Sam and Tucker. She realized uneasily that sitting there would mean having her back to the door, but she moved forward without protest.

Tucker settled in the chair to her right, looking extremely uncomfortable. Briefly, she wondered what her face gave away.

"How are you on this lovely evening?" Vlad asked. Sam and Tucker maintained a stony silence. "I must say, you've both looked better." Sam exhaled noisily, unable to hold back her sneer. Vlad's eyes snapped toward her, landing on the cuts across her cheek. And he grinned. "Samantha, darling, you should really cover those. I'd hate to see you get an infection."

Rage exploded inside her chest, but she did not react. "What do you want?" She asked, her voice quiet and steady.

"Well I want you to make sure that you're taking care of yourself."

"Why did you call us here?" Sam could not stop her voice from rising. Vlad's eyes widened and sparkled in pleasure at her reaction.

"Oh, yes! I almost forgot, this little business of negotiation." He leaned back in his chair and crossed his leg, resting his ankle on his knee. "Let me just start by saying thank you for being on time. I always appreciate punctuality."

Sam and Tucker said nothing.

"Right to the point, aren't we?" He grumbled. Sam felt a small wave of pleasure that she and Tucker were keeping their emotions so in-check. Vlad brightened almost instantly, resuming that same unsettling happiness he seemed to be constantly exuding. "My conditions are simple. I will leave Amity Park, and earth as a whole, without bringing any more harm to any inhabitants of this wretched place."

"If..." Sam prompted him.

Vlad smirked. "_If_ you two agree to surrender fully to me, to become my prisoners, and to leave Earth with me."

Sam blinked rapidly in her disbelief. "No!" Tucker spluttered. Sam glanced at him and squeezed his forearm lightly before turning back toward Vlad.

"If we say no?" Sam asked evenly.

"I will wipe Amity Park off the face of the Earth." Vlad said through clenched teeth. "I will penetrate your shield and pick your pathetic excuse of an army off one by one. I will capture the two of you and hold you captive. I will find whatever hole you have the rest of the city stored away in, and I will eradicate every man, woman, and child inside.

"Amity Park will serve as an example to the rest of the world as what happens to those who resist me. You will stay alive long enough to know that I am superior. I am dominant. And one Daniel Fenton will watch as I dominate his home, his fellow citizens, and the two people who matter most to him." He leaned forward, baring his teeth at Sam and Tucker. "And then he will watch as I kill you, both, one at a time. The world will watch. And after your bodies fall, lifeless, to the floor, Daniel Fenton will finally die, by my hands. Which, by the way, will be stained with your blood. And I will take over the world."

Sam remained quite still. She heard Tucker breathing heavily to her right. She wondered if he was afraid or angry or worried. A hurricane of emotions swelled inside of her, but she kept them locked beneath the surface.

Sam turned to Tucker. He turned his head and stared at her through his glasses, the lenses of which flashing as they caught the little light in the room. "What do you think?" She asked, keeping her face straight.

Tucker's shock was obvious. "You're actually _considering_ this?" He asked incredulously.

"Well, sure." She said seriously. "But I want your opinion, too. Should I kick his ass here and now? Or wait to do it in front of his little army?"

Tucker's face split into a wide grin as Sam turned back to Vlad. "Thank you for your...generous offer. But I think we'll be turning it down. We still have a bit of a fight left in us." She pushed back from the table, enjoying the scraping sound the chair's legs made on the metallic floor. She sneered down at Vlad as Tucker stood as well.

"That's too bad." Vlad said slowly. "I was hoping to reach an agreement here."

"We can't always get what we want." Sam said coolly.

"I'll be seeing you out there, on the battlefield." Vlad called as they turned to walk away. "Oh, and Samantha?" Sam paused in the doorway, keeping her eyes on the ramp at the end of the hall. "I look forward to watching Daniel's face when I dominate you in front of the entire world."

Rage and fury unlike anything Sam had ever known exploded inside of her. She physically felt her careful hold oer her emotions snap. The dam broke. It was almost too much for her to handle. Distantly, she felt Tucker taking her arm, coaxing her forward, urging her not to react, but he could not reach her. Vlad's thinly veiled threat drove her into near insanity.

She did not remember turning or crossing the room, but the next thing she knew, she was towering over the table. She swung her arms in wide sweeping motions, clearing the table of its' trinkets and papers with a satisfying crash. "YOU DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!" She bellowed. Her voice was low and gutteral, primal in her fury, convulsing up her spine and detonating in her throat.

Vlad appeared to be enjoying her rage. His smile was wide, goading her into violence. "I don't know how," She hissed. "I don't know when. I don't know where. But one day, one day very soon, _you will die_." She spun on her heel and stormed to the door, where Tucker still stood. She brushed past him and started down the hallway, but not before Vlad shouted one last insult at her retreating form.

"I look forward to our next encounter, my dear!"

"Was that...did he..." Tucker murmured as they walked quickly down the hall. "What just happened?"

"He was just threatening to...rape me, and then kill me." She spat. "In front of Danny. And the rest of the world, apparently."

Tucker bristled beside her. Sam glanced at him and smiled a little at the look of fury and protectiveness in her best friend's eyes. For the first time since Danny went out of town, Sam did not mind the protectiveness. "I'd like to see him try." He snarled. "Not only would you rip his balls off if he tried, but he would have to get through one hell of an army to even lay a finger on you."

Sam inhaled noisily through her nose as they descended the ramp, subconsciously moving closer together as they passed through the lines of aliens still flanking the ramp. "It's just gonna get worse, now. You know that. Right?"

Tucker waited until they had a few yards between themselves and the aliens. "Oh, trust me." He muttered as they walked swiftly across the crater. "I know."


	20. Chapter 20

**I'm updating at work.**

**I don't have enough time to get in-depth here.**

**No character deaths.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Twenty**

**August 30, 2012**

* * *

In hindsight, Sam supposed she should not have been as shocked as she was when the aliens began chasing her and Tucker across the field. It was predictable, really. So like Vlad. But she was not expecting it. So the sounds of hundreds of clawed feet beating against the ground and violent snarls and howls momentarily rendered her paralyzed in fear.

"_Run_!" Tucker screamed. Their hands locked together and they sprinted toward the shield, pulling each other along desperately as the aliens bore down on them. Sam's breaths were coming in sharp gasps, ripping her throat raw, but she ignored it and continued running. Dust was rising up and invading her eyes, sinking into the exposed cuts on her face and stinging. The pain scarcely reached her, though.

"_Car_!" She managed to choke between gasps. Immediately, she pulled him to the right, toward the car's hiding place. Briefly, she considered turning and fighting right there on the battlefield, but the thought was gone as soon as it came; she no longer had her gun, and the Jack O' Nine Tails was only good in small numbers. Tucker was far too terrified to fight, and Sam was not keen on taking his gun away from him. Besides, she thought wildly as the entrance to the alley came in sight, there are too many of them, and we're already there.

They could see that Kwan's Jeep was no longer parked where they left it about seven yards off. Sam released a strangled yell, no longer able to form words. Tucker understood, though. He glanced at her, his glasses half-way down the bridge of his nose for running like a mad man, an in his eyes Sam could see his consolation with the fact that they were about to die. Sam turned back to the horizon, where off in the distance the green shield glittered in the streetlights, and clenched her jaw. No, she thought. It's not gonna end like this.

Over the swells of the snarls created by the pack of aliens, Sam heard several long, sharp horn blasts. She chanced a look over her shoulder, and laughed in breathless delight. The Jeep was careening through the pack of aliens, heading directly toward Tucker and Sam, sending several of the aliens air-born as they slammed into the hood of the Jeep and rolled to the sides, narrowly missing being crushed by the wheels. Kwan was driving, wooping in exhilaration as he carefully steered the car toward Sam and Tucker. Dash was in the passenger's seat, a self-fulfilled smile on his face as he swung his arms and legs at the aliens that attempted to make purchase on his side of the car.

"Gimme your hand!" Dash screamed as Kwan pulled the car beside Tucker and Sam, keeping pace with them. Sam immediately shoved Tucker toward Dash's outstretched hand, using the arm Tucker was clinging to to pump back and forth as she ran. Dash and Tucker immediately locked arms, and Sam waited until Tucker's feet left the ground to glance back at Dash. He was staring at her, his eyes wide in excitement and fear and apprehension as the question swelled between them: _are you or aren't you going to let me save you?_

"Trust me!" He screamed desperately. Sam felt as if she was dying; her legs were screaming for her to stop, to fall down, to sleep. Her lungs were expanded to full capacity, oxygen burning her nose and throat. Her heart felt as if it was about to explode in her chest. Everything inside her begged her to take Dash's hand and allow him to pull her to safety.

Everything, that is, except that little rebel in her head. The little rebel that recalled all too clearly the images of Dash shoving Danny into lockers, yanking Tucker's beret down over his eyes, sneering at them as he passed them in the hallways. _Don't you take his hand!_ She screamed. _You're more than capable of saving yourself! You're the hero in this story!_

"Sam!" Dash screamed, veins bulging in his neck and forehead and spit flying for how hard he shouted. "Please!"

_I swear to God, if you take his hand, you're playing into everything society thinks about you! Weak! Dependent! Simple-minded!_

_Oh, shut the_ hell_ up_, Sam thought to the little rebel in her head as she reached out and seized Dash's hand. His hand swallowed hers easily, his thick sausage-like fingers closing tightly around her wrist. His other hand flew out and gripped her forearm, and as he gave her arm an almighty tug, Sam used the momentum to swing her other arm up and around his neck. Her feet left the ground and for a moment the only things keeping her connected to Earth were Dash's arms. But then she was sprawled across his lap, half-way into the driver's seat. Kwan gave a primal shout of triumph and floored the gas pedal.

Sam scrambled to right herself, crawling into the backseat with a little help from Tucker. She fell back against the seats, closing her eyes and trying to catch her breath as the sounds of the aliens faded in the distance. For a moment, no one really spoke. She could feel Dash turned completely sideways in his seat, staring at her and Tucker as their bodies slowly returned to their natural rhythms. It was not until she felt Kwan turning the car sharply to the left that she finally opened her eyes.

They were driving along the side of the shield, still on Vlad's side. "What are we doing?" She demanded, leaning forward and bracing herself on the front seats.

"We knew shit was gonna start going down when you guys got back. So right after you left, the two of us and Val decided that we were all gonna be waiting for the chase that was more than likely gonna happen." Dash grinned, pleased with their cleverness. "We've brought out all the big guns this time. We're not playing around with them anymore."

"Yeah, they're saying the same thing about us." Tucker grumbled. "You'll never guess what Vlad threatened to do to Sam."

Sam shifted uncomfortably beside him. Dash eyed her discomfort and turned to Tucker, his mouth already pulled into a snarl. "What?"

"He's...well, basically, he told her he was gonna rape her. In front of Danny." Sam kept her eyes on her knees, which were knocking together rather violently as Kwan darted across two lanes on the street they were currently hurtling down.

But, much to her surprise, Dash laughed. She jerked her head up toward him, mouth agape in shock at his reaction. Seeing her surprise only made him laugh all the harder. Even Kwan was chuckling a bit, keeping his eyes on the road as he shook his head in disbelief.

"Oh...woo." Dash chuckled, wiping tears away from his eyes as he hiccupped himself back to seriousness. "That's a good one. Vlad raping Sam. Yeah, like she'd ever let him near her. Oh, God, she'd rip his dick off so fast!" Dash dissolved into a fit of laughter again, reaching out and lightly punching Kwan's arm. His laughter was contagious; even Sam was grinning at the thought. "Jesus Christ, don't make me die of laughter."

Kwan pulled another sharp turn and the rest of their army came into view. Valerie stood at the front, Sam could see, her face twisted in worry. It nearly crumpled in relief when she spotted the Jeep slowly coming to a stop before her.

She was trotting toward them as Dash and Kwan climbed out, turned, and helped Sam and Tucker out as well. Valerie flung her arms around Tucker's neck, and as Tucker took her by the waist, Sam felt a large, warm hand on her upper arm. She turned and her vision was full of Dash.

"Thank you." He said quietly, all traces of laughter gone from his face.

"For what?" Sam asked in confusion.

"Trusting me," He shrugged. She stared at him for a moment, gazing into his cobalt eyes in an effort to sense any sarcasm there. But all she saw was utter seriousness. Dash was truly grateful. The corners of her mouth turned up in a smile, and an understanding passed between the two that their earlier argument was now in the past, forgotten, and that it would stay that way.

She was jolted out of these thoughts by Valerie calling her name. "Sam," She breathed, circling her arms around Sam's neck and squeezing. Sam winced, the bruises from Vlad's chokehold still tender to the touch. "Thank God."

"Hey, Val," Sam said weakly. She drew her arms up around the girl's shoulders, ignoring the way her legs trembled as she stood.

"Kwan said you two almost didn't make it?" Valerie asked, pulling away and peering into Sam's face. "He said they were right on your heels..."

"Sam woulda made it." Dash said confidently. "She could have outrun them if we gave her the chance."

"You know what?" Kwan said suddenly. "That gives me an idea..."

He began to describe his plan, and in the back of Sam's mind, she applauded Kwan for the simplicity of it. It would involve two simple actions: running and ducking.

Ten minutes later, the army was set up. They stood in a long line, facing away from the Fenton's shield, guns out and at the ready. Valerie, Kwan, and Tucker paced before them, glancing nervously in the direction of Vlad's ship. Dash was set up just next to Vlad's ship, half-hidden in the shadows of an alley. And Sam...Sam was running.

She darted out from an alley and screamed. The aliens that chased her earlier whirled around and immediately began to canter across the crater toward her. Sam turned on her heel and sprinted down the street that would lead her to the army. The wind rushed over her face and blew her hair back, and for a second Sam forgot she was running for her life. She imagined she was just on a morning jog. She always sprinted at the end, so that when she was finally able to stop, she felt like she had earned it. Her lips pulled back over her teeth and she grinned. The corner was just a few feet away.

"There she is!" Tucker screamed as Sam rounded the corner.

"Fire!" Kwan and Valerie screamed simultaneously.

Sam heard the sounds of heavy bodies hitting the floor as the army began to fire at will at the aliens on her heels. She continued sprinting, knowing at least a few would still be on their feet and down her neck, but the fact that the army was cheering and screaming battle cries released a whole new wave of adrenaline and pleasure in Sam's system. Her grin widened.

She rounded another corner and began down that street, squinting her eyes at the horizon in an effort to spot Dash. She saw him standing by the shield, head whipped around to face the source of the sudden commotion. He darted into the alley as she approached. In the part of her mind that wasn't blank from running, she wondered what he was doing outside of the alley, but she did not have enough time to deliberate on it. She ran headlong toward the shield, and just before she ran directly into it, Dash's arm caught her around the middle and yanked her to safety.

She closed her eyes and panted as the sounds of aliens crashing into the shield reached her. Dash lifted his hand and held her head in place, not wanting her to see. Which was just as well to Sam; she had no desire to see it happen either.

When the frying sounds slowly fizzled out, Sam opened her eyes. She stepped away from Dash, but kept her hold on his arms firm. She stumbled a bit, laughing a little when Dash caught her. "That was awesome!" She choked. "Holy shit!"

"Uh, Sam?"

"No, really, let's do that again! Please!"

"Sam?"

She paused. Dash was not smiling. He was not laughing. He did not look excited like Sam. "What?" She breathed.

He just pointed. At the shield. Sam turned slowly, wincing at whatever he was trying to show her.

There, on the other side of the shield, face ashen and eyes wide in horror, stood Danny.


	21. Chapter 21

**Ha. I had a feeling that last chapter would piss y'all off. I was riiiiiight.**

**Yes. It's the real Danny. He's back, y'all.**

**Okay, let me get serious for a second here. Rape. It is an extremely serious topic. I mean no harm or offense here. If I have offended you in some way through the mentions of rape, honest to God, I did not mean it. It's part of the story. I'm sorry, from the bottom of my heart, if I have offended you.**

**I'm 99.9% sure that shit is going to absolutely hit the fan in the next chapter. Heads are about to start rolling, bitches. Get ready.**

**Just checked the poll .598234 seconds ago. Still only fifteen voters. I'm pretty sure the next chapter is gonna be the song chapter. So, this is your last chance. Vote if you haven't yet, tell your friends to vote if they haven't. Let's get going.**

**I like Chicalata, guys. Let's have theory time with Chicalata:  
Theory #1: Danny is fake.  
Oh, man. I'm not that cruel. Don't worry, it's really him. He's on the other side of the shield, though, so they can't reach each other. So that big fantastic reunion hug you want for this chapter is not here. ):  
Theory #2: Danny thinks Dash and Sam have a little somethin' somethin' goin' on behind the scenes.  
He's Danny. Of course he does. But he's beyond caring at this point. He's just relieved Sam's still alive. But hold on to that thought, okay?  
Theory #3: Danny's pissed at Sam for putting herself in danger, and Kwan for not protecting her.  
Um...half right. Again, hold on to this thought.  
Theory #4: Tori will update by 5pm tomorrow.  
AKA 5pm today. Well, Chicalata, I don't know where you are, but where I am, it's closing in on 3pm. So, yes. Good theory. (:**

**It does pay off to read the A/N's sometimes, you know. You find out little spoilers every now and then. (:**

**No character deaths. Next chapter, if it works out the way I want it to, yes. Major, major yes. Character death galore. I almost started crying playing that scene out in my mind. Oooooooh.**

**But none here.**

**(:**

**I don't own Danny Phantom. Aaaaaaaand here we go.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Twenty-One**

**August 31, 2012**

* * *

Every molecule in Sam's body turned to ice. Danny was shifting restlessly, looking as if he wanted nothing more than to sprint through the shield and crash into her. Sam swallowed hard.

"Danny?" She breathed. His lips parted at the sound of her voice and he released a strange, high-pitched keening whine. Sam slipped out of Dash's grasp and darted out of the alley.

The moment she neared Danny, thousands of lights began flashing behind him. Sam immediately skidded to a halt and peered around him, attempting to identify the source of the flashing. Danny whirled around as well, roaring fiercely, "_Get out_!"

The paparazzi murmured their apologies and slowly lowered their cameras. Sam clenched her jaw as Danny turned back to her.

"Sam," He murmured. And with that small word, Sam was entranced. She forgot the anger and frustration she worked through in dealing with his absence. She forgot how hard she worked to convince the others that she was strong, independent, that she did not need Danny to be useful. At the sound of his voice murmuring her name, Sam was right back to that place he put her the night before he left with that mind-numbing kiss. She closed her eyes and felt his arms around her, his lips against hers, his breath on her neck, his hair on her forehead. She drew a shuddering breath and opened her eyes again, meeting his gaze.

"Hi," She whispered. He made that strange noise again, though quieter than before, and inched toward her. The shield was mere centimeters away from his face, but Danny seemed to only have eyes for Sam.

"Are you okay?" His voice broke. Sam raised an eyebrow and smiled a little at his question. "Sorry," He laughed humorlessly. "Standard question..."

"I'm okay," She nodded, unable to break her gaze on Danny's face. She grimaced and resisted the urge to cover herself when Danny's eyes examined the cuts on her face, traveled down to the bruises on her neck, and finally landed on her bandaged hands.

"You don't look okay." He said stiffly.

"It's nothing." She said just as stiffly. "I'm here, I'm alive, aren't I?"

Danny's retort was drowned by the sound of loud laughter above Sam's head. She stumbled backwards into Dash as all three stared up at the sky. Just above the spot Sam was standing before, a swirling red cloud had appeared. It solidified into the shape of a man, and in a blinding flash of light, Vlad appeared.

"Daniel! How kind of you to join us!" Vlad cooed. Danny growled, deep in his chest. "Oh, dear," Vlad's voice dropped into sudden seriousness. "That's an unattractive sound, my dear boy."

"Release them, you son of a _bitch_!" Danny screamed. Sam felt Dash tightening his grip around her waist, and in that moment she knew they were both wondering the same thing: would a Ghostly Wail be able to break Vlad's shield?

"I would not try that, my boy," Vlad tutted. "Your little Wail would destroy my shield. And my shield is directly connected to this city. You would destroy the city and everyone inside it. Including these two," Vlad glanced down at Dash and Sam. Danny followed Vlad's gaze, his eyes ablaze in indecision. "We wouldn't want that, now, would we?"

Danny just growled. He did not dare scream again, though, for fear of actually destroying everything. "Do you want to see something wonderful?" Vlad asked, obviously enjoying torturing Danny. "See those cuts on her face?"

"Stop." Sam said quietly. Danny glanced at her, his eyes on said cuts on her face.

"I put those there," Vlad whispered. The little color left in Danny's face drained instantly. "I ripped her precious little cheek apart with my bare hand. See the bruises on her neck?" Danny seemed to be in a trance; he glanced at the bruises on her neck.

"Stop it!" Sam said loudly, ignoring Dash's grip tightening around her waist.

"I did that. I grabbed her throat in my hand and I squeezed. I felt her windpipe collapsing in my fist." Danny was shaking in rage, his eyes swimming in tears.

"When I get my hands on you, you son of a bitch, I'm going to _rip_ you to _pieces_!" His voice was trembling.

"You should not use such language in front of a lady," Vlad said sternly. "Especially when she is about to die."

His words hung heavily in the air and for a moment, no one moved. And then Vlad spun toward Dash and Sam so quickly he was a blur. His cape whipped out violently. He was grinning madly, his eyes sparkling in malice. Dash seized Sam's wrist and yanked her away from Danny, down the street she ran down just a few minutes before. She could hear Danny screaming, Vlad laughing, and a curious crashing sound to her right. She peered up and nearly lost it when she realized what Vlad was trying to do.

The buildings to Sam's right were crumbling to the ground. Huge chunks of debris crashed to the ground by her feet. It was becoming more and more difficult for Dash and Sam to run in a straight line; they were leaping over chunks of concrete and dodging flying glass. Finally, Sam heard an almighty crack from above. Dash, slightly in front of her, turned to the right blindly and screamed. He dove to the left, dragging Sam with him, and flattened himself against the wall of the building on that side of the street.

Sam closed her eyes and held her breath as a giant foot-thick sheet of concrete pinned her to the wall. She felt waves of dust washing over her face and neck. Even though she was not breathing, the dust washed up her nostrils. The sheet of concrete shifted, knocking against the back of her head. Sam's face crashed into the wall of the building she was flattened against. She felt blood dribbling down her chin from her nose, and she prayed it was not broken.

She heard a deep coughing from her right, and cautiously, she peered through the dust and saw Dash gasping for air. His eyes were on Sam's face, on the blood dripping from her chin. His eyebrows knit together and he lifted his chin a bit, an unspoken question. She nodded. She was alright.

Over the sounds of her heard thumping wildly in her ears, Sam heard the distinct sounds of Danny screaming in despair, while Vlad hurled verbal abuse at him through the shield. People were shouting behind them; the paparazzi, Sam assumed. She winced. It looked like the building crushed her and Dash.

"We've got to get out." Dash coughed. He braced his hands on the building he and Sam were pinned against and began pushing against it, using his back and shoulders to move the concrete slab against them. It shifted, and Sam was able to rearrange her limbs so that she was braced against the building as well, her legs bent and ready to work. Her knees shook a little, but she grit her teeth and turned to Dash. They nodded at the same time and Sam began to push.

It took almost all of the strength left in Sam's body, but after a few endless moments, the slab against their backs tilted backwards. Sam enjoyed a second of relief before she realized that she was being dragged backwards with it.

The air was knocked directly out of her lungs when the slab hit the ground with an almighty crash. Her eyes popped open when she felt a pair of hands pulling her her off of the concrete. Dash was pulling her up, his eyes over her left side, trained on something several feet in the air. She turned her head in that direction.

Vlad was staring at them, his face radiating his disbelief. Danny was on his knees on the other side of the shield, though he looked like he just discovered he won the lottery upon making eye contact with Sam.

"RUN!" He screamed. "SAM, DASH, _RUN_!"

Dash yanked Sam to her feet as the sounds of Vlad throwing flaming balls of ectoplasm started behind them. Sam felt the ground shake as Vlad's attacks hit the concrete beneath their feet. Vlad was screaming in frustration as they made their escape. Sam threw one last desperate glance over her shoulder, and what she saw was burned into her memory for the rest of her life.

Vlad hovered in the middle of the street over the debris that had trapped her and Dash, his face contorted in rage and arms swinging wildly as he sent ectoplasm hurtling after Dash and Sam. Danny was on his feet, pacing restlessly like a tiger behind bars, every muscle in his body rippling as he urged Dash and Sam forward. And the paparazzi was crowded behind Danny, every eye and lens fixated on their retreating forms.

And then Dash pulled her around the corner of an alley and all Sam could see was the exposed brick of the side of the building. They kept their pace as Dash lead them through the maze of allies, the sounds of Vlad's screams of fury fading as they ran.

They emerged from the alley, still jogging, Dash's hand tight around hers. The army was busily moving the motionless bodies of the aliens they killed as Sam sprinted by before. Kwan, Valerie, and Tucker lurched forward, each talking at them excitedly. Unable to understand all of their voices at once, Sam merely shut them out and tried not to hear the sound Danny made when he heard her voice.

"What the hell happened?" Tucker demanded, and Sam felt him at her side. She opened her eyes and saw him gazing at her, his eyes calculating as he attempted to understand what they had seen. Sam wondered how bad she looked.

"Danny's here," She whispered. Tucker froze, hands on Sam's arm. "He's here."

"_What_?" Kwan nearly shouted. "He's _here_? What do you mean he's _here_?"

"We just saw him by the shield," Dash choked. He heaved several deep coughs, before gasping and doubling over, dropping his hands to his knees. "He's over by the shield. Or he was a minute ago. We talked to him, and then Vlad came."

Tucker glared at Sam's bleeding nose. "Did he do that? Vlad, I mean?" He asked, pointing at the blood on her face.

"Well, yes and no." Dash shrugged. He straightened and stretched his back. "He collapsed a building on top of us. technically, the building did it, but...yeah."

Valerie, Tucker, and Kwan were very still as Sam and Dash attempted to breathe normally again. The adrenaline pumping through her system before was long gone, replaced by an extremely unpleasant sinking feeling. "Were you talking to him when I came around the corner?" Sam asked Dash, ignoring the others.

"Yeah. He wanted to know where you were, and if you were okay. I told him you were fine and that you were on your way over right now. Oh!" He snapped his fingers and turned back to the other three. "I mentioned the Fenton Audio Sonar! I told him we had a guy on it in case they tried to connect with us!"

A terrible typhoon of sound crashed toward them from the direction of the shield. Every single person froze, wide eyes cast in the direction the sound was coming from. Sam braced herself.

Hundreds of aliens were barreling down the streets toward the army, releasing terrible howls as they approached. Dash took a subtle step in front of Sam as Valerie shoved an extra Fenton Gun in her hand.

"Take Marcus back to Fenton Works and get him on the Sonar." Sam muttered to Tucker. "We'll handle this."

Tucker darted away. At his movement, the entire army lurched forward, screaming primal battle cries as a whole new wave of fighting broke out.

"I got your back!" Dash shouted as Sam threw herself forward. Inwardly, she winced. _Let's just hope that's enough_, she thought savagely.

* * *

**If you're bored and looking for some good music to study to, try Carry On by fun. or Can't Help Falling in Love by Ingrid Michaelson. Two of my favorites at the moment.**

**- Tori**


	22. Chapter 22

_Please note that I have updated this story twice in one day again. If you did not read the previous chapter, which included an interaction with Danny and Vlad, go back and read it._

**I look forward to the hate mail I will surely receive at the end of this chapter.**

**Not only did I kill someone off, but I left you with the biggest cliffhanger to date.**

**THERE IS A MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH IN THIS CHAPTER. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.**

**The winning song is also revealed in this chapter. Good job on the votes, guys. I was impressed by the amount of participation.**

**Just to clarify, I haven't gotten any messages from people saying that my mentions of rape offended them. But I do realize that I probably offended a few people somewhere. I was offering an olive branch to them, hopefully. I did not want to come across as being insensitive.**

**I can't really think of anything else to write, so I guess there's only two things left to say:**

**1. I don't own Danny Phantom or the song mentioned later in this chapter.**

**2. The piece of the story lying within this chapter marks the beginning of the end. I'll let you figure out what this means.**

**On with the show.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

**August 31, 2012**

* * *

Sam lost herself in that fight. She allowed her mind to go blank as she twisted this way and that, firing the gun rapidly and grinning when an alien fell. She saw Jazz darting by, her red hair flying behind her and catching the low light of the streetlights, and then Micah flew by as well, a savage grin twisting his face sadistically. She turned and fired again, and as that alien hit the ground with a mundane and final thud, she saw Valerie. Her roommate's teeth were bared as she fired relentlessly at the aliens attacking their little group.

A hand seized the back of Sam's jacket and yanked her backwards. She tripped and fell backwards into Dash as a brown, clawed hand swung down where Sam had been standing just seconds before. She hissed at the alien growling at her, and fired her gun directly at the creature's head just as Dash did the same. The alien dropped to the ground immediately, leaving room for a whole new wave of attacks to rush toward the two. Sam twisted and darted behind Dash, laughing a little when she heard one of the aliens skip over Dash in favor if giving chase to Sam.

She darted quickly through the forest of flailing limbs and falling bodies, scarcely taking time to pause long enough to examine the humans that drew their last breaths as she sprinted over them. There would be time later, she was sure, to return and mourn and carry their bodies back to the safety that was the other side of the Fenton's shield. But until then, Sam needed to stay alive.

She flew into a parking garage, her feet barely touching the floor as she rocketed down the ramp. The sounds of the alien behind her were suddenly amplified as they traveled into such a confined space, making Sam run all the faster as a flare of panic rocked through her. She needed more time to stop, aim the gun, steady it, and fire. The alien was far too close for Sam's liking. She clenched her jaw and leaned forward, urging herself to run faster.

Sam nearly tripped over a speed bump when she heard the sounds of another Fenton Gun being fired inside the parking garage. The alien fell, rolling a little as its' momentum attempted to carry it forward, but quickly came to a stop as Sam slowed her pace to a jog. She panted, ignoring the aggravated thoughts that she was tired of sprinting, and gave her savior a wide smile.

Kwan loped down the ramp easily, looking as if he was walking off the field after winning a football game rather than saving Sam's life. "Y'alright?" He asked, his grin blinding. Sam nodded, still not able to form words. "I saw him chasin' you down in here, I figured you'd appreciate a little help."

"Absolutely," Sam breathed. She snaked an arm around Kwan's middle and squeezed closing her eyes as the smell of sweat, blood, and leather rose up between them. She grimaced into his shoulder. "You need a shower," She muttered.

He threw his head back and laughed loudly. Sam stepped away from him and smiled as he looked back down at her and shook his head. "You do, too," He chortled. "Maybe that's what we'll do when this is all done. Sound good?"

"Woah, slow down there, big boy. I don't shower with a guy until after the third date." This time, they both laughed.

Their laughter died in their throats, however, at the sight of four aliens slowly advancing toward them down the ramp. Sam gasped, and the sound set the aliens into a low growl. Their blackened eyes flashed dangerously as they began spreading across the parking garage, intent on boxing Sam and Kwan in. Sam stepped backwards, toward Kwan, keeping her eyes on the advancing aliens. She closed her eyes for a moment as Kwan's fingers grasped her forearm and briefly squeezed; a silent reassurance that everything was going to be okay.

They all ran forward at once, sending Sam into a shooting frenzy. She missed the first three times she fired; it was not until the alien closest to her was nearly on top of her that she finally hit the brute in the forehead. By then, the second alien was inches away. She whipped the Jack O' Nine Tails from her tool belt and launched the wires at the creature, squeezing her eyes shut when it howled in pain. She released the charge when the creature stopped twitching on the ground below her feet and whirled toward Kwan.

The other two aliens were still standing, though one looked as if it was on its' last leg. It collapsed as Sam darted forward, leaving one alien on its' feet. Sam wove around Kwan and rolled between the alien's legs, narrowly missing its' claws as it swung down on her. She scrambled to her feet on the alien's other side, spreading her feet in a defensive crouch as the thing realized it was surrounded.

Kwan and Sam launched their Jack O' Nine Tails at the creature at the same time, so that twice the amount of electric charge fried its' body. It collapsed in seconds and did not twitch at all.

The two were still for a moment, each breathing heavily, before Kwan grinned. "Well, that was -"

His speech suddenly cut off as he suddenly lurched forward, his eyes growing wide. Sam's breath caught in her throat; what she saw did not make sense. Kwan was standing, staring down at his chest, where a dark black stain was quickly spreading across his white shirt. In the center of the stain, a large brown claw protruded. Kwan's hands went to the claw, his fingers fluttering around it, and to Sam's horror, he began to stumble.

"N-No!" She squeaked. The alien that had fallen earlier was not dead, she realized this now. It was slowly struggling to its' feet in an attempt to finish Kwan off. But Sam was too fast for it; she fired the Fenton Gun at the creature's head before it had moved an inch. "Kwan!"

Kwan fell forward, to his knees, his eyes still on the claw in his chest. His breath was ragged and sporadic. His eyes were swimming with tears. Sam dropped her gun as she fell beside him, bracing his shoulders and head with her arm, anything to alleviate his pain. Kwan tipped backwards, dragging Sam down with him. He cried out, a sharp, strangled, gurgling sound from the middle of his throat, as the claw protruding from his back forced him to his right side. His face was mere inches from Sam's. Sam could see his pupils dilating and his skin slowly paling as the life leaked from his chest.

"K-Kwan, it's gonna be okay, I'm gonna get some help, we're gonna get you back to Fenton Works and P-Paulina and Star are gonna patch you up...you're gonna be okay...I promise..." But Kwan was shaking his head, screwing his eyes shut as pain overtook him. "No...Kwan, _please_!"

"G-give...to...Star..." He moaned. His hands, stained in blood, were hitting the pocket of his jacket repeatedly. "P-please..."

Sam wanted nothing more than to turn and run from the place. She felt her instincts urging her toward the shield, whispering that it would all go away if she dove headfirst into that shield...but laying there, next to a dying man - nay, her dying friend - Sam could not resist his pleads. She choked back her sobs and slipped her hand into his jacket pocket. A sob escaped, though, when her fingers closed around something small and velvet; a ring box.

"G-give it...to...her...tell...I...love...her..." It was becoming more and more difficult for Kwan to speak. Sam shoved the ring box in her pocket, no longer bothering to hold her tears back.

"You're gonna give it to her yourself." She muttered through clenched teeth. Kwan shook his head again, heaving a rattling breath. "Kwan, don't do this to me. Don't leave me here. Kwan!" His eyes were glazed and fixated on a spot in the distance that Sam knew she could not see. "_Kwan_!"

"Star..." He breathed. Sam held her breath, waiting for him to gasp or twitch, anything to show her he was still alive. But he did not. Kwan was completely and utterly still, and Sam was completely and utterly alone.

She wriggled her arm out from beneath his shoulder and collapsed across him, not caring about the blood that seeped through her jacket and stained her hair. She broke down there, sprawled across him, sobbing uncontrollably against him. Thoughts of Harvey and Zack flooded back to her, making her cry even harder. In the part of her mind that had not come unhinged,she wondered if this would be the position she would be in when she died.

Heavy footfalls slapped against the concrete ramp of the parking garage and Sam tensed, waiting for the searing pain of a claw in her back. But it was not a claw that hit her. It was a voice.

"Sam, Kwan, c'mon, we've gotta go. They need backup out there...Sam?" Dash stepped forward hesitantly. Sam clung to Kwan tighter as Dash approached. "What's wrong?" Sam did not answer, sobs still ripping through her throat. "K-Kwan?"

She heard a dull thud that spoke of a man realizing he suffered a terrible loss collapsing to his knees. She felt the heat of Dash's body beside her, swelling and radiating over her puffy face as Dash leaned forward, hoping against all hope that his senses were lying. That maybe Kwan was just asleep, or playing some terrible joke. She heard a quiet little half-sob as Dash lurched backwards, the realization that his best friend was dead sending his mind into a tailspin. It was such an impossible thing to believe; Kwan, who was so alive less than an hour before, was now lying motionless on the floor. He would never move again, never smile, never laugh. He was gone.

Sam resisted Dash's gentle hands on her shoulders, pulling her away from Kwan. She let out a strangled cry and let her hands scrabble against Kwan's stained jacket as Dash pulled her away more forcefully. "We can't stay here, Sam, they'll hear us, they'll find us."

"I'm not leaving him!" Sam screamed desperately, her throat raw from her tears.

"We'll move him, but we need to get out of here!" Dash's voice sounded odd; Sam glanced at him blindly and realized that he was crying, too. He pulled her to her feet and crouched behind Kwan's shoulders, lifting his best friend's body by the armpits. Sam lurched toward Kwan's feet and lifted them as well. Together, they hustled out of the parking garage and toward the nearest building.

Dash shouldered the front door open, kicking it as he passed so it would not swing shut on Sam. She slipped inside just before the door crashed against her right ankle, attempting to look anywhere but at Kwan. Dash circled around the front desk of the building, swinging his leg out and hooking it around the armrest of the computer chair tucked beneath the desk. He motioned Sam toward it with a single jerk of his head, and together they knelt and tucked Kwan into the space the computer chair left. Sam tucked his feet in, pausing to smooth his jacket over his hip, before standing and turning away abruptly. Fresh tears were spilling down her face, making her throat twinge painfully.

She sucked in a shaking breath and closed her eyes, attempting to block out the last few days. "_Keep your feet ready_," She whispered, the air trembling as it left her lungs. "_Heartbeat steady, keep your eyes open. Keep your aim locked, the night grows dark, keep your eyes open_..."

Sam opened her eyes when she felt Dash taking her hand. She glanced up at him. His eyes radiated an impossible amount of pain, but he was smiling a little at her. "Let's rip his ass apart, okay?"

Sam nodded, but hesitated as Dash moved to step forward. "He...he gave me this...to give to...um...but, I think...I think _you_ should...you know," Sam pulled the ring box out of her pocket and offered it to Dash, forcing herself to keep her eyes locked with his instead of on the black velvet box in the palm of her hand.

Dash stared at the box, before slowly reaching out and plucking it from Sam's grasp. "I helped him pick this out," Dash whispered, bringing the box close to his face. "He was so excited..."

"Stop, God, please. _Stop_." Sam felt the urge to vomit, but she pushed it away with a deep, cleansing breath. "Please, can we just...?" She gestred toward the door. Dash nodded and pocketed the box, refusing to look back as they stepped out of the building and into the street.

Sam felt a whole new level of savagery as she gazed around, mentally begging a horde of aliens to try messing with her. She felt absolutely invincible in that moment; like she could destroy their entire ship with her bare hands. Three aliens rounded the corner and spotted Sam and Dash, and Sam felt a rush of pleasure as she moved forward to meet them.

"Sam!" Dash called apprehensively behind her, but she ignored him. Behind the swiftly approaching aliens, Sam could see the battle was starting to wind their direction anyways, which was just as well to her. She could take the whole damn army down singlehandedly.

She opted to use the Jack O' Nine Tails on the aliens as opposed to the Fenton Gun. It was so much more enjoyable to watch the life leave their bodies slowly rather than in a flash. She shot the wires at one alien, yanking it forward and using that momentum to plant her foot in the chest of the second alien. It fell backwards, snarling hideously as the first alien collapsed and twitched. Sam released the charge and queued the second charge up, baring her teeth at the second alien as it scrambled to its' feet. For a moment, they circled each other, each snarling and growling at the other. They launched forward instantaneously, Sam swinging her fist forward and launching the wires at the beast as its' claws raked down her side. The leather jacket took the brunt of it, though Sam felt the tip of its' claw graze along her ribcage. She noted the warmth slowly spreading there, trying to remember to tell Paulina about it when she got back to the infirmary.

And suddenly she thought of Star, who was probably sitting in the infirmary at that very moment, anxiously waiting for Kwan to return. And her vision went red when she realized that Kwan would never lope through the doorway of the Fenton's lab again.

She threw the Jack O' Nine Tails down as the second alien stopped twitching, her eyes locking with the final alien's. Dash was long gone, having seen that Sam was handling herself and launching himself into a skirmish of his own. Sam clenched and unclenched her fist, itching to leap forward and rip the alien apart.

Apparently the alien was thinking the same thing, because before Sam could even process what was happening, it was on top of her. She swung her leg forward, her foot finding purchase on the creature's leg, as the creature swung its' paw across Sam's face. She was immediately thrown to her right, landing in her stomach and rolling from the momentum. She stopped on her back, blinking rapidly as she readjusted to the sudden act of gravity. The alien was towering over her, snarling and hissing at Sam. She knew she would not have enough time to reach the Fenton Gun.

Distantly, she heard a feminine voice screaming her name. The alien turned to the source of the noise, giving Sam the opportunity she needed. She rolled to her left, yanking desperately at the butt of the Fenton Gun, which was caught in the belt.

The alien sensed her movement, and in one swift movement, its' claw was detached and buried in the right side of Sam's chest. Pain unlike anything she had ever experienced convulsed through her body. She was only vaguely aware that she was screaming through the pain of it.

She felt the life flowing out of her as the alien stooped and lifted her, releasing some terrible howl and striking out toward the ship. Piteous human screams were fading quickly in the distance as the alien cantered away with her in its' arms. And just before unconsciousness swallowed her whole, Sam sent one desperate thought out to Danny:

_I'm so sorry._

* * *

**Remember how I said that something was gonna happen to Sam that would force someone else's point of view?**

**...yeah.**

**RIP**

**Kwan**

**'Til next time.**

**- Tori**


	23. Chapter 23

**Sorry.**

**I planned on updating yesterday (and by yesterday I mean the first). I was just about to start writing, but I was playing with my dog. She got a bit violent and now I have a nice big cut up my thigh.**

**So here I am.**

**There are no character deaths in this chapter.**

**It's almost one AM and I'm exhausted, so I'm gonna call this an A/N.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

**September 3, 2012**

* * *

Danny was pacing.

He had taken to pacing about twenty minutes earlier, after Dash and Sam had disappeared around the corner and Vlad mysteriously vanished into thin air. The paparazzi that had been milling around behind him, waiting to catch a glimpse of whatever Vlad was using to attack, tactfully kept their distance as Danny stormed away from the shield. They seemed eager, at first, to get a shot of Danny talking to someone inside - something to make it look like Danny was actually doing something useful, _which I'm not,_ he thought angrily - and pounced when Dash appeared. Of course, they had nearly had a stroke when Sam came streaking down the street.

Danny felt his adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard and gripped the cloth of Sam's lucky bracelet tightly between his fingers, images of Sam running from those hideous creatures filling his mind. _She very nearly got herself killed with that little fake-out manoeuver she pulled with Dash_, Danny thought. He pictured Dash's arm catching Sam's waist and a wave of jealousy reared in the back of his mind.

_It's ridiculous to be jealous of Dash_, Danny scolded himself._ That man saved your girlfriend's life, you should be grateful_.

_He didn't have to hold her quite so close, though_.

Danny spun sharply on the balls of his feet, keeping his pacing up. It was obvious to Danny that Sam was injured; even in the brief moments he could see her properly, she looked like she'd been through hell and back. Anxiety caused his heart to thump uneasily as his imagination roamed over the possible other injuries Sam could get; Danny shook his head roughly and forced himself to think about the order of the planets as he subconsciously rubbed the pad of his thumb over the material of her bracelet.

_Mercury._ He remembered waiting for his parents at the airport in Rome, glancing down at his phone every few minutes. He'd responded to Sam the moment jet lag released him, but she had yet to reply. He wasn't particularly worried, though. He knew she had gone to a party at Dash's, and he guessed that she was either nursing a hangover or attempting to assist Valerie survive her own hangover. _Venus._ His parents rushed to him when their gate opened, all smiles as they hugged their son. Danny helped carry his mother's luggage from the airport, listening to her and his father converse animatedly about the speeches they would both be delivering at their convention. While he was almost completely engaged in the conversation, he could not stop himself from checking his phone repeatedly. He was starting to feel some level of mild concern, but he mentally assured himself as he loaded the luggage into the back of the town car that Sam was probably just asleep.

_Earth._ Several hours later, Danny was definitely concerned. He caught himself staring at the dark screen of his phone, willing it to light up with a new text or call from Sam. He chewed his lip in indecision, only partially aware of his parents unpacking their luggage and discussing what cafe they wanted to try for lunch. His fingers flew over the touch screen as he shot a quick text to Valerie, apologizing for bothering her, but asking if she could please have Sam respond to him in some way. _Mars_. Twenty minutes later, when he had not received a reply from either girl, his fretting grew to worry. He attempted to reassure himself that the party probably went into the wee hours of the morning, and that both girls were simply passed out in his apartment. He sent a text to Tucker, knowing the boy was incapable of sleeping past noon.

_Jupiter_. After ten minutes passed and Danny still did not have a reply, he decided it was time to pull out the big guns. He fired a text off to Jazz, asking his sister to please go check on Sam and Valerie in his apartment. By that time, he was pacing, ignoring his parents as they asked him what the problem was. Maddie must have sensed that something serious was bothering her son, so she sat on the edge of the bed and watched in pained silence as Danny paced the length of the room. He would tell them when he was ready, she was sure. Jack, on the other hand, did not have such patience. It was all he could do to not burst and demand to know the source of Danny's worry. _Saturn_. Danny felt his heart sink into his chest when another ten minutes passed and he still had no new texts. He queued up the phone to dial Sam's number, but his thumb hovered over the call button. He battled with himself internally, weighing his options. On one hand, Sam could simply be asleep. She would wake to his frantic texts and calls and think he was an overbearing freak. He did not want that at all.

_Uranus_. But, on the other hand, it was not just Sam that was not responding to him. It was Valerie, Tucker, and Jazz. And that was odd. Something could be seriously wrong. Technus could have taken the radio towers out. Skulker could have captured them all. There could have been an accident. He pictured Valerie, Tucker, and Sam driving home from Dash's party and crashing head-on into Jazz and Micah. That mental image was all it took for him to hit the dial button and shove the phone up to his face. He waited as the call connected, trying not to tap his foot impatiently. _Neptune._ When his call went directly to Sam's voicemail, his heart dropped directly through the floor. Her phone was off, or dead. He swallowed hard and dialed Valerie's number, praying that it was just some fluke that Sam's phone was off. But, of course it wasn't. Valerie's voicemail rang in his ear. He punched Tucker's number a bit harder than necessary, releasing a low growl when his call was directed to voicemail again. And when the same thing happened a fourth time with Jazz's phone, Danny knew something was very, very wrong.

_Pluto._ He dove to the television and turned on the news, flipping through in rapid succession until he finally found a national news channel in English. Reports of a massive storm system over the Great Lakes region were the only pieces of news Danny could get about Amity Park. A trickle of relief momentarily washed through him as a small, rational voice in his head that sounded like a strange mixture of Sam and Jazz told him that the storm system probably knocked the cell phone reception out temporarily. His friends and sister would get back to him eventually.

Of course, he ended up getting the real news a few hours later. A breaking news story unfolded after an unsuspecting man walked his dog directly into the shield. Neither died, luckily, though the dog ended up with several massive burns. But this lead to the discovery of the shield, which wound all the way around Amity Park. Danny sat, rigid in horror at the table of the cafe, as the images of Amity flashed across the screen. A burned building here. A trashed car there. And, worst of all, there was an image of a street lined with buildings which the left hand corner, just barely visible through two buildings, displayed the smoking remains of an apartment complex. Danny studied the image and nearly croaked right there at the table when he realized it was Sam's apartment building that now lay in shambles on the ground.

The plane ride back was painfully slow. Danny could not focus on anything for the life of him. He was almost positive he was in shock, as the only coherent thought bouncing around in his mind was _please don't be dead, please don't be dead, please don't be dead... _It was then that he remembered he still had her bracelet. He clung to it like a lifeline.

A car was already waiting to pick Danny and his parents up from the airport after they landed. Danny dove into the backseat without a word, staring hard out the window in stony silence as his parents quickly climbed in after him. He did not respond to his mother's quiet reassurances or his father's booming confidence. He was drowning in an overwhelming need to see Sam alive. Unharmed, ideally, but at that point just seeing her draw a breath would be enough to last him a lifetime.

The driver attempted to drop all three of them off at a base established just outside of the shield, but Danny insisted on being taken directly to the edge of the shield itself. The driver did not argue, assuring his parents that he would wait for Danny and take him back to the base whenever Danny was ready. They seemed a bit apprehensive at first, but something in the look Danny was giving them told them that they should not argue.

Danny was standing at the shield for all of five minutes when Dash came jogging down the street. His old bully slowed when he first spotted Danny, but quickened his pace in an instant.

"Dude," Dash said breathlessly when he was near enough. Danny noted that he was able to hear through the shield, a quick wave of gratefulness washing through him.

"Please tell me she's alive." Danny asked, his voice low with fear.

Dash nodded and Danny could have collapsed right then and there. "She's a little banged up, but we all are," Dash glanced over his shoulder, shifting restlessly. Danny got the distinct impression that he was waiting for someone.

"She's hurt?" Danny could barely keep his voice from shaking at the thought of Sam's face twisting in pain.

"Not bad," Dash said quickly. "A few cuts and bruises. Nothing serious."

"Good." Danny whispered, massaging his chest over his heart. He did not know if he could take much more stress.

"Zack and Harvey are both dead, and a few others." Dash said mournfully, and Danny felt a sharp pang in his chest beneath his fingers. "Now Marcus has to run the Fenton Audio Sonar and part of the army..."

"The Fenton what?" Danny asked. Dash opened his mouth, his eyes suddenly wide and eager, but a terrible sound from Dash's side of the shield cut him off. Dash whipped his head around and stepped back a bit, allowing Danny to get a clear view of the source of the sound.

Danny clenched his hands tightly behind his back, willing himself not to remember the exhilarated look on Sam's face as she ran. He did not want to picture her that way: injured and tired and running for her life and kind of excited about it. He popped his neck as he paced. He'd mentioned the Fenton Audio Sonar to his parents when he got back after relaying everything he'd seen and learned at the edge of the shield. They had set out to build some sort of radio Danny could speak into that would surpass the both Vlad and Amity's shields. That was when he started pacing.

_Any minute now_, he thought as he turned for the thousandth time._ Any minute 'til they're done and I can talk to Sam._

* * *

Tucker was pacing.

He had been pacing ever since he rushed into the Fenton's basement, breathless, to tell Marcus not to move from his place in front of the Sonar. Marcus simply stared at him, confusion in his eyes, as Tucker doubled over and wheezed. After a few minutes, he was finally able to sit up and explain to Marcus that Danny was officially aware of the situation and the Sonar. Marcus nodded, an image of seriousness, and turned back to stare at the Sonar intently. Tucker stood motionless behind him, debating on what he should be doing, before sighing and setting into a pace. He barely listened to Paulina and Star fret over the lack of painkillers or to the doctor gently telling the girls that they would have to start being very liberal with the pills. His mind subconsciously echoed every impatient, worried sigh the girls released every three or so minutes. It was killing him not knowing what was going on outside, but he knew he needed to be here when Danny's voice finally crackled through the speakers.

After twenty minutes of waiting, a single sound came through the speakers, causing Tucker and everyone else in the room to freeze and stare at the Sonar in anticipation. It was a faint noise, barely audible and easily missed unless you were listening for it. It was a single word; a question, actually.

"_How?_"

Tucker darted forward, taking the seat beside Marcus' and snatching the microphone. "Danny?" Tucker asked hesitantly. For a moment the only sound that filled the room was static.

"_Tucker? Is that you? Can you hear me?_"

Tucker had to hold back a delighted laugh as his best friend's voice filtered through the speakers. "Yeah, it's me, man. I can hear you."

"_Is everything okay? What's going on?_"

"Um...define 'okay,'" Tucker said, glancing at Marcus, who was holding back a grim laugh.

"_I just meant, like...has anything else happened since I talked to Sam and Dash?_" Danny sounded impatient.

"I don't think so," Tucker said. "I haven't seen anyone since then, though, so I don't -"

He paused as a horrible noise crashed overhead. People were screaming, some sounding hysterical. "_What's going on?_" Danny demanded.

"H-Hang on," Tucker muttered, shoving the microphone at Marcus. Valerie crashed down the stairs, absolutely no color in her face. Tucker stood and rushed toward her as she spotted him and reached for him, tears flowing down well-formed tear tracks on her face. "What? What is it? What happened?"

"It...I...they..." Valerie was heaving trembling sobs, unable to form the words she needed. Dash tumbled down the stairs as well, looking absolutely ghastly. Paulina made some strange noise and lurched toward him, hugging him briefly before pulling away and tutting over the amount of blood on his body. Dash turned to look at Tucker and his eyes were hollow and dead.

"What the hell happened?" Tucker demanded sharply, placing his hands on Valerie's shoulders and holding her at arms' length. Her entire body was quaking with her sobs. Tucker had never seen her so distraught before. It scared him.

"Star," Dash's voice snapped Tucker's thoughts away from Valerie. He turned sharply toward the blonde in question, glancing quickly between her and Dash. Star's eyes were wide, pleading with Dash. Dash sucked in a shaking breath. "I'm so sorry,"

The room went absolutely still. The only sounds were the static of the Sonar and Valerie's sniffles. Even Danny, who had been crying out to know what was happening, had gone silent, even though Tucker knew there was no way Danny could have heard Dash's terrible words. Star blinked several times, before stumbling backwards. The backs of her knees hit one of the cots and she collapsed, blonde hair flying, as she succumbed to crushing grief. Dash and Paulina rushed toward the girl quickly, offering consoling embraces that Star blindly returned. Tucker grimaced, eyebrows knit together, and turned back toward Valerie.

"Is that it?" He asked quietly, jerking his head back toward the grieving trio. Valerie's lower lip trembled as she shook her head no. Tucker had to stop himself from moaning in despair. "What, then?"

"They...have...her. They have...Sam," Valerie choked.

Immediately, Tucker was reeling. _Are you fucking_ kidding me? He thought furiously. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to calm himself. _It's okay, no big deal. Sam's a big girl, she's been in these situations before, she knows how to -_

"She's hurt. Bad. One of the aliens...I saw it stab her," Valerie's voice trembled with renewed sobs. Tucker went numb. "We'll be lucky if she doesn't bleed out..."

"Don't...don't say that," Tucker choked, releasing Valerie's shoulders. He could not draw a breath. The realization that Sam was critically injured and in the hands of her boyfriend's arch enemy was absolutely crushing. "_Shit_! How the _fuck_ am I supposed to tell Danny?"

simultaneously, they glanced at the Sonar. Marcus was speaking into the microphone in low tones, attempting to relay the news of Kwan's death to Danny without disturbing Dash, Star, and Paulina. A whine sounded in the back of Tucker's throat at the thought. It would be impossible to tell Danny the truth without having some sort of plan to get Sam back. _Danny's gonna go absolutely ape shit_, Tucker thought, _if I don't have a plan_.

He glanced spastically around the room, searching desperately for an idea. His eyes bounced from the Sonar to a Bazooka to one of Jazz's old college textbooks to a cluttered lab desk to the Ghost Portal to a cabinet. Tucker paused and stared at the Ghost Portal. An idea was forming in his mind.

"I could get their help to get her back," Tucker said quickly, turning abruptly back to Valerie. She stared at him, miscomprehension in her face. "The ghosts. I could go in and explain what's going on and get them to help."

"Alone?" Valerie's voice cracked. Tucker shrugged and nodded. "No way. I'm coming with you."

Tucker chewed on his tongue for a moment as he deliberated. "Okay, fine." He said finally. "You have to be careful, though. We both do."

Valerie nodded, obviously not in the mood to joke. Tucker quickly and quietly explained what was happening to Dash, Paulina, and a sniffling Star before tip-toeing to Marcus and covering the microphone with his hand.

"_Do not_ tell him about Sam." Tucker said firmly, locking eyes with Marcus. "If he asks, tell him you don't know where she is. Tell him I left to deal with something and Valerie went with me. Do not breathe a _word_ about this to him until I tell you to. Do you understand?"

Marcus nodded, glancing at the Sonar.

"Don't let him find out about this until it's resolved," Tucker muttered. "one way or another."

* * *

_A/N: Just realized I completely forgot Danny had Sam's lucky bracelet. So...I editted and added it in. Edit done 11:33 PM on September 13, 2012._


	24. Chapter 24

_I have updated twice in a very short period of time yet again. Please make sure you have read chapter twenty-three before you start on this one._

**I'm really not in the mood to do an A/N right now. So...**

**Thank you for all the reviews. I really appreciate the encouragement and I'm glad you guys like this story so much. I hope you continue to read.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom or anything else you recognize.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

**September 3, 2012**

* * *

Tucker never understood how the Fentons managed to get the Spector Speeder into the lab. He would arrive and it would be sitting there, looking the same as ever, with no apparent signs of being taken apart and put back together again. Which was strange, really, because Tucker remembered seeing the very same vehicle out on the roads. His quirky imagination conjured images of Danny turning the vehicle intangible, before his somewhat rational mind gently reminded him that Danny's parents would never let Danny Phantom near their precious machinery back then. So it was always an unsolved mystery to Tucker, something he imagined would become the stuff of stupid stories he would tell his grandkids repeatedly around the holidays when he grew old.

That is, until Jazz hit a button hidden beneath one of the lab desks. A garage door that blended into the walls suddenly sprang to life in the far corner of the lab, rattling upwards slowly to reveal an arsenal of vehicles. At the front of the pack sat the Spector Speeder.

"It's kind of like a giant elevator," Jazz explained as the doors continued their painfully slow climb. "The floor moves up and down so we can have it down here or up on ground level."

Tucker stared at her in disbelief. "How is it that I've practically lived here for sixteen years and I've _never_ seen this before?"

Jazz grinned. "We have a lot of secrets in this house," She said cryptically. Tucker shook his head, curious, but thinking better than to ask. "Here are the keys. Be careful." She surprised him yet again by lurching toward him and hugging him tightly around the neck. Tucker lifted his hands and patted her awkwardly on the back, keenly aware of the fact that Micah was staring at their embrace. Jazz pulled away and hugged Valerie briefly before stepping back to stand beside Micah, who lifted a hand to her shoulder and squeezed almost possessively. Tucker turned to Valerie and swallowed hard.

"You ready?" He squeaked. Valerie nodded.

Tucker slid into the driver's seat of the Spector Speeder, glancing out the windshield as he swung the door shut behind himself. Dash had an arm around Star's shoulders, who was leaning heavily against Dash, his other hand clutching Paulina's wrist. Jazz and Micah stood off to the side, Jazz practically panting for how hard she was breathing. Micah was turned sideways in his seat, the microphone to his mouth as he mumbled some excuse to Danny about why Sam, Tucker, and Valerie could not talk to him at the moment. The doctor even paused in his preparations for the rest of the army, which was slowly trickling in as they arrived at Fenton Works. Every eye was on Tucker. Valerie shut her door and Tucker turned to her. They were silent, their eyes locked. She nodded once and Tucker turned the keys in the ignition, gripping the steering wheel tightly as the engine rumbled to life beneath his feet.

"Here goes nothing," He muttered as he tapped the gas pedal. The Speeder inched forward, toward the Ghost Portal, which sprang to life in a swirling green doorway to the paranormal universe beyond. Tucker clenched his jaw and hit the gas in earnest, trying not to flinch as the Portal sent long green tendrils forward to snake around the Speeder and pull it into the Ghost Zone.

The Speeder emerged moments later, depositing Tucker and Valerie on the familiar edge of the Ghost Zone. Tucker could not help but to smile; he was back to the place he spent so much time in when he was younger. Memories of the area with Danny and Sam came swimming back; saving Sam from Dora's brother, rocking out to Ember's music while ignoring Danny and Sam accidentally flirting beside him, finding Frostbite's domain, not to mention endless hours of chasing the Box Ghost and running from Klemper. He directed the car just slightly to the left, heading toward Skulker's lair._ Better to start with the big guy_, Tucker reasoned.

"Why are you smiling?" Valerie asked, a hint of disapproval in her voice. Tucker glanced at her, before turning his eyes back to the Ghost Zone before them.

"Memories." Tucker shrugged. "I have a _lot_ of memories in this place."

Valerie nodded. "You know where we're going?" She asked, glancing out the window at the bottomless world around them.

Tucker laughed. "You kidding me?" He chortled. "I practically _lived_ here in high school. I know _exactly_ where we're going." He could see the skull-shaped island floating in the distance as he spoke, and he pressed down a bit harder on the gas pedal. "Even _you've_ been to where we're going."

"I have?" Valerie sounded skeptical. Tucker nodded, his eyes still on Skulker's island. From the corner of his eye, he could see her looking around desperately, trying to find a familiar landmark. He smirked when she finally spotted the island with a gasp. "No!"

"Val, it's the only way we're gonna get all of them on our side." Tucker said soothingly, reaching across the seat to grasp her hand. She relaxed a bit at his touch, though not much. "It's gonna be fine, okay? I promise."

"How do you know?" Valerie pouted, unable to tear her eyes from the hunk of rock quickly approaching. "Last time I was here, I was handcuffed to Danny and running for my life from a psychotic hunter!"

Tucker was torn between the desire to laugh and the urge to grimace. "Actually...the hunter is the one that's gonna help us."

He could see Valerie gaping at him. She pulled her hand from his and crossed her arms over her chest in a huff. "Yeah, that's _definitely_ gonna work." She grumbled sarcastically, falling heavily against the seat. "Let's ask the guy who wants to skin Danny alive and mount his head on the wall for help. Good plan, Tucker, I don't know _why_ I didn't think if this before..."

"Do you want to save Sam?" Tucker asked sharply. Valerie deflated immediately. "That's what I thought. Skulker's gonna help us. Trust me. I know how to talk to him."

The island was still when they landed, which struck Tucker as being very odd. He climbed out of the speeder and landed on the ground, glancing around nervously. He could never shake the feeling that he was being hunted whenever his feet touched the ground here. Valerie felt the same, apparently; she crossed to Tucker's side of the vehicle quickly, refusing to touch him in her lingering annoyance with him, but sticking close to his side as they walked further into the forest. Tucker shoved the keys of the Speeder into his pocket as he fought through thick underbrush.

It was a tiny noise, barely audible over the sounds of Tucker and Valerie fighting through the branches, that sent Tucker down to the ground, flat on his back. Valerie's hands were on his chest, her breaths coming in sharp gasps as five very long arrows lodged into the bark of a tree, directly over the place Tucker had been standing just seconds before. Tucker stared at them sitting innocently in a row, slowly pushing his glasses further up his nose with a shaking hand.

"_Again_?" Tucker heard Skulker shout, frustration in the specter's voice. "I _just_ reloaded it! This is ridiculous, I need to work on the motion sensor's sensitivity..."

A quiet melody strummed on a guitar sounded, before a feminine voice cooed, "Can't you do that later? I was having so much fun upstairs..."

"Well, now, Em," Skulker's voice was strange, husky almost; Tucker felt an overwhelming need to gag. "I suppose my weapons could wait just a little longer..."

The guitar song stopped and Tucker could no longer resist the urge to make his presence known. He coughed loudly, earning a rough smack to his chest from Valerie, but the deed was already done. Heavy footfalls crashed through the forest, and a moment later Skulker was towering over Tucker and Valerie, eyes blazing.

"Seems my weapons are working wonders," He said happily. "Though," He said, a thoughtful frown creasing his metallic face. "I _do_ need to work on speeding up the reaction time..."

"We need your help," Tucker gasped, scrambling to his feet. He stooped and helped Valerie to a standing position before straightening and trying not to cower under Skulker's withering glare. "Please."

"What's going on?" Ember appeared, glancing at Skulker before spotting Tucker and Valerie. Her face split into a wicked grin. "Oh, goodie. Moving targets."

"Wait! Please!" Valerie lurched forward as Ember arched, preparing to rip a furious chord on her guitar. Ember paused, her hand hovering over the strings, arching an eyebrow dangerously as Valerie's hand was outstretched toward the neck of the guitar. "We just want to ask you something!"

"Help, I think." Skulker said as Ember slowly floated to the ground beside him. "Why ask us? Where's your precious ghost boy?"

"That's the problem," Tucker said slowly, still eyeing Ember's guitar warily. "Amity Park's under attack and Danny can't get to us to help."

"Couldn't he just go through a portal out there, use the Ghost Zone as a short cut, and then end up in that stupid portal in the basement of his house?" Ember questioned, eyebrows knit together in disbelief of what she perceived to be their idiocy.

Tucker shook his head. "All the other portals you guys use are only temporary. Danny would need to be in the exact right place in the exact right time to even come close to getting through here. And we all know he isn't exactly the best with that kind of luck." This earned a snort from Ember and an approving nod from Skulker. "Will you guys at least hear us out?"

The ghosts turned to each other, conversing silently and weighing their options. Tucker tried not to huff and snort in his impatience, but he could not shake the nagging thought that every second he spent convincing them to help was another second Sam spent with Vlad. Valerie's hand gripped the crease of his elbow lightly, before sliding down and intertwining her fingers with his. He squeezed gently and ran his thumb over her knuckles in a quick sweep before dropping her hand and stepping toward the ghosts. "Well?"

They turned back to him, annoyance swelling in Skulker's deadened eyes. "You have two minutes." Ember said stiffly.

Tucker wasted no time in launching into a description of the town falling under seige. He described the shield boxing them in and the bloodthirsty aliens hunting them down in the perimeter. He told them the city was hidden underground while a select few fought for their lives on the surface level. He struggled when he came to describing Kwan's death, and hesitated when he came to Sam.

"She...they were..." He glanced back at Valerie helplessly. She stepped forward immediately, taking Tucker's hand as she did.

"The same thing happened to her that happened to Kwan." Valerie's voice was low, radiating her pain. "And they took her back to their ship. She's there now. We need your help to get her back."

Skulker and Ember were silent, their faces stoic and impassive. Tucker grit his teeth together. "So?" He asked, trying and failing to hide his impatience. "Will you help us?"

"No." Ember said. Tucker felt his heart shatter. "Why is it _our_ problem that you let her get hurt? Yeah, no. Sorry. Good luck, though."

Tucker had to fight hard to keep his vision from swimming as waves of panic washed through him. If Skulker and Ember were not on his side, there was no way he would be able to convince the others...

He was vaguely aware of Valerie squeezing his hand. He crashed back to reality, however, when Valerie murmured, "Did we mention Vlad Plasmius is leading them?"

Skulker and Ember, who were turned and walked away, froze at her words. Tucker watched nervously as they turned and exchanged a look, before whirling around to face them fully. "Vlad..._Plasmius_?" Ember whispered. Valerie could not hide her smug grin as she nodded. Ember turned her head sharply to Skulker, her glare hard.

"Think about it," Tucker said, gaining his confidence back instantly. "If you stopped him, you would be the one that caught the _only_ entity to ever be _banished_ from Earth..."

He could practically see the gears turning in Skulker's head as he weighed his options. The giant brute of a ghost turned to Ember, engaging in another silent conversation. This one did not last nearly as long as the first, though; within sixty seconds, the two were looking at Tucker, wearing identical masks of resolution. "We will assist you in getting your friend back." Skulker said stiffly. Tucker nearly collapsed in relief. "But _only_ because it is Plasmius that has captured her."

"What exactly do you want us to do?" Ember asked, shifting her guitar over her hip. "I mean, it's not gonna be anything stupid, is it?"

"No," Tucker said quickly. "First thing we need to do is gather everyone from the Ghost Zone and get them into the human world. I have a plan from there."

"Care to share?" Ember asked as they struck out toward the Speeder.

"It's simple. You guys just go intangible and get into Vlad's ship. Find Sam. Turn her intangible and fly back out." Tucker shrugged as he climbed into the driver's seat of the Speeder. He glanced at the ghosts through the rear view mirror, cringing a little when they deadpanned at him.

"I thought you said it wasn't anything stupid." Ember muttered as Tucker took off from Skulker's island.

"It isn't stupid!" Tucker said defensively. "Think about it! Vlad knew Danny was gonna be out of town, and he never dreamed you guys would ever agree to help us, so he's completely defenseless to ghosts. It'll be the easiest thing you've ever done, getting Sam back."

"You'd better hope so." Skulker grumbled. And Tucker cringed again, because he was thinking the exact same thing.

* * *

**Meant to add this to the end of the last chapter, I only just remembered:**

**1. PLUTO IS STILL A PLANET, DAMNIT.**

**2. LOLURANUS**

**Yeah so I'm 19 years old and Uranus still makes me laugh. Get over it. (:**

**- Tori**


	25. Chapter 25

**Is today the day I see EVERYONE I know?**

**I've been sitting at this table for less than an hour. Less than sixty minutes. And I've already seen six people I knew in high school. WHAT THE HELL. THIS IS COLLEGE. THAT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN.**

**Sorry. I'm really freaked out right now.**

**This chapter kept wanting to cut itself off. Originally it had...like...2100 words? And now it's at 3112...before commentary. I had to fight with this chapter. Hardcore.**

**Um, okay. No character deaths.**

**Thank you bunches and bunches for all the fantastic reviews. _Ba da ba ba ba, I'm lovin' it_.**

**I saw a hobo peeing on the side of McDonald's this morning on my way to school. Yeah, you think it's bad hearing about it, imagine SEEING IT.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom or that disgusting place I mentioned above.**

**H'enjoy.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

**September 4, 2012**

* * *

It was something incredibly mundane that alerted Sam to the fact that she was dreaming.

Her dream, overall, was incredibly strange. She was at Casper High School, but it was not the same building she originally attended. It was an odd mix between a prison and a theme park. Her subconscious was convinced, however, that it was her high school, so she did not think much of it. A giant looping roller coaster carried Valerie, Tucker, Dash, Kwan, Star, Paulina, and Vlad. They were screaming and laughing and were not apparently aware of Sam. Sam felt her face twisting into a grin, a wave of thankfulness washing through her for the fact that Vlad was no longer attacking her friends.

She looked down at her wrists and realized they were bound together by a pair of silver handcuffs. Her feet were also bound, though the cuffs slung across her ankles had a far longer chain, which allowed her to trot forward. Dozens of children that Sam had never seen before were running and shrieking from ride to ride, laughing hysterically.

And they all wore handcuffs, like Sam.

As she looked at them, she realized they were all wearing the same thing: a bright yellow jumpsuit. She glanced back down at her body and realized she was wearing the same thing as well. She grimaced at the blindingly bright fabric, but rolled her eyes and continued walking without complaint.

"Hey," A warm voice washed over her ear. Sam turned and found Danny's face just inches from hers, an easy smile on his face as he reached around and took her hand. She smiled at the tingling sensations in the pit of her stomach as he touched her. He glanced down her body, that easy smile quickly morphing into a hungry grimace, until his eyes stopped on her feet. "Babe?" He asked, glancing back up at her.

"Hm?" She was lost in that hungry gaze, wondering through the flood of sudden warmth in her body what he was going to do next.

"Your shoe's untied." He chuckled, pointing down. She stared down at her right shoe, which was, in fact, untied. She smiled coyly before bending and tying the laces.

_Wait_, she thought._ I was wearing boots._

And in an instant, her surroundings were gone. Danny's face was the last solid remnant of the dream, before he, too, faded away. Sam swam through the blackness, desperately trying to find which way was up, before a tiny pinprick of pain ignited in her right shoulder. She grimaced and tried to escape the sensation, but it was too late. She was shoved to the surface, where the pinprick grew to an almighty roaring flame that seemed to spread through her entire body. With a gasp and a heaving cough, Sam broke the surface and her eyes popped open.

Her surroundings bore no noticable details at first. Sam blinked rapidly, forcing her eyes open after each blink (as they attempted to stay screwed shut from the pain) and glancing around desperately. Fuzzy images on the wall slowly came into focus. Sam squinted.

The images were maps. Dozens and dozens of maps. She turned her head slowly, craning her neck up and wincing, as the movement worked the punctured muscles of her shoulder. She clenched her jaw and willed herself not to vomit as the feeling of warm blood gushing from the wound registered in the back of her mind.

The walls in this room were plastered with maps and schematics. Sam stared at them, willing herself to comprehend the meanings of them all, but failing miserably. So in an effort to alleviate some of the growing pressure on her shoulder, Sam attempted to sit up. She was stopped, however, by several leather straps that crossed her chest, abdomen, and legs. Her left arm was pinned to her side by the straps. Her right arm, it seemed, was twisted up across her chest, the palm of her hand flush against the very top of her breast, her shoulder heavily bandaged. A small whimper escaped her lips.

A door on the right side of the room swung open at the noise. Sam could not stop her head from snapping in that direction, though she wished she had not looked almost instantly. Four hulking aliens entered, low growls emitting from all of them. Sam was not sure if it was because she was injured and vulnerable, but these four seemed twice as large as the others. Each alien took a post in each corner of the room, their growls swelling slightly, as the door widened just a bit more, allowing Vlad to sweep in dramatically.

"Samantha, dear, so good to see you!" He cooed. Sam swallowed hard, forcing her eyes to stay open and her mouth clamped shut as a wave of pain made her thoughts hazy. "Oh, you poor thing," He frowned, smoothing her tangled hair away from her sweaty forehead. Sam grimaced and turned her head sharply away from him, suddenly aware of several different things: one, every time she moved her head, a sharp pang of pain fired off through her body from her injured shoulder. Two, the blood from the injury was still wet on the right side of her face and neck, as a breeze from the air conditioner sent shivers up her spine. Three, Vlad was probably about to kill her.

Or worse.

"Now, now, don't fight. I'd hate for you to get even more injured." If Sam was not strapped to a table and set out like the main course of a meal for Vlad, she would have sworn she saw legitimate concern flashing in his eyes as another whimper of pain escaped her lips. He continued smoothing her hair away, petting her almost absently, and Sam stopped fighting. She felt weak enough as it was; no need to add to it by fighting Vlad when he was not hurting her.

"You poor, poor thing," He said forlornly. "I did not mean for you to get so severely injured...I only wanted my army to scare you, never hurt you..." His hands reached for her shoulder, fingers fluttering lightly against the folds of the gauze protecting her injury from further harm, and Sam winced and cringed as the sensations sent shots of pain through her body. "Well, that is a lie. I _do_ want to hurt you. I want you dead. But not yet. Not like this..." He went very still, his eyes glazed as his imagination took him to some far away place, and Sam wanted to scream. She wanted to rip the straps holding her down off and lunge forward and kill Vlad. _It's all his fault_, she thought furiously.

Vlad suddenly snapped back to reality, looking back down at Sam and smiling innocently. "Daniel must be a bundle of nerves, not knowing what is happening to his dearly beloved..." Vlad caressed Sam's cheekbone with the back of his fingers, and Sam was no longer able to resist the urge to twist away violently. Her whimper escalated into a groan of pain as the strap across her chest dug into her shoulder. "I wonder if he is even aware of where you are...well, I would hate to think of him as not knowing what has happened to you." Vlad's innocent grin twisted into an evil smirk. "Let's tell him, hm?"

"No!" Sam gasped, speaking for the first time since she woke in Vlad's care. "No, please!"

But Vlad was not listening. He smirked and walked around Sam's head, effectively leaving her line of vision. She twitched beneath the straps, unable to stay still despite the fact that each movement sent undiluted waves of pain through her body. Vlad spoke to one of the aliens, speaking in harsh gutteral tones. The alien grunted and Sam heard a shuffling movement. She bit back a scream of mingled terror and fury.

Vlad ambled back into her line of sight, looking down and fumbling with something in his hands. He was writing something, she realized, with a black Sharpie. She went very still as the smells of the permanent marker washed over her and ignited a pit of nausea in her stomach. Vlad capped the marker and tossed it over his shoulder, hardly breaking stride toward Sam as it clattered to the floor. "I always did enjoy receiving a hand-written letter in the mail. I'm sure Daniel will appreciate this for the effort it took to put it together."

Vlad shoved the paper in front of Sam's eyes. She blinked, trying to bring it into focus. She gasped when she recognized it.

It was the picture of her and Danny from Tucker's office. Though Vlad altered it. A giant black 'X' now covered her face, another one over her body. "N-no!" She gasped again. Vlad chuckled and turned the photo over, allowing Sam to read the message he scrawled across the back.

_Isn't it a shame how only the good die young?_

"P-please!" Sam screamed, not caring that her voice splintered and broke from the pressure. Vlad ignored her, turning on his heel toward a desk against the wall and rummaging around for an envelope. "You can't d-do this!"

"Watch me." He snarled. He turned back to her, envelope in hand, and stared at her. She was rigid, wishing as hard as she could that the straps would break and she could escape. Vlad seemed to come to a resolve about something, and before Sam could process what was happening, he was around on her left side. He tucked the picture down by her right cheek, smirking as she tried to twist away from it. "Be still."

Sam refused to obey, though her injury begged her to stop moving. It was not until Vlad planted a solid punch to the left side of her face, laughing as he revelled in her cry of pain, that Sam went limp. Sam felt her body convulsing in sobs, and she desperately tried to stop her right arm from trembling. The radiating pain tempted her to sink back into oblivion, but she resisted. She needed to know what would happen next.

Vlad's next assaults were very gentle. Sam barely felt them through the pain. Her eyelids fluttered open and she realized his hands were on her neck. She cringed, thinking he was moving in to strangle her, before she realized he was pulling on the chain of Danny's necklace.

Panic flared in her mind, sending her into a bout of hysteria. "No, please, _PLEASE_! Stop!"

Vlad hit her across the face again, his knuckles connecting with Sam's cheekbone in a terrifyingly dull pop. Over her own cries of pain, Sam registered that Vlad was howling in pain as well. _He must have broken a finger_, she thought with a small rush of pleasure.

He gave up on unclasping the necklace, settling for ripping it off of her neck instead. He dropped the jewelery into the envelope and plucked the photo, now splattered with Sam's blood, and tucked it into the envelope as well. He sealed it and crossed wordlessly to the other side of the room, stooping and snatching the Sharpie from the floor to scribble Danny's name on the outside of the envelope.

"Take this to the boy." He called in the aliens' language. Sam, who was only just coming down from the hazy rush of pain, blinked in her lack of understanding. Vlad resisted the urge to smirk, as his finger was throbbing painfully and he did not feel particularly victorious at the moment.

The alien from over Sam's right shoulder moved forward, pulled the envelope from Vlad's grasp, and left without a sound. Sam swallowed hard again, holding back piteous sobs. She hoped the message on the photograph would come true quickly, but knowing Vlad, it was probably going to be drawn out. A whimper escaped her again.

"Now...where to begin..." Vlad said ominously. He sauntered toward her slowly, taking his time, enjoying the small squeaks of terror he drew from Sam. Her body was betraying her, twisting and bucking away from Vlad despite her determination to remain stoic in his advances. She gnashed her teeth together and forced her body to go completely rigid. "So much to do..." His lips were mere centimeters from her ear now, his breath washing over her face and making her want to vomit. "So much _time_..."

He moved away from her side, choosing instead to tower over her feet. Sam kept her gaze firmly planted on the ceiling, using Danny's trick to keep himself calm to force herself to stay aware of reality. She recited the order of the planets repeatedly in her mind, ignoring Vlad circling her like a bird of prey.

_Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto._

She was almost completely unaware of her surroundings as her memories flooded back to her. She closed her eyes and she was sprawled across Danny's bedroom floor, on her stomach, flipping lazily through her science book as she studied with Danny. She looked up and saw him hunched over his science book, brow furrowed in concentration. She smiled. He was cute when he studied.

It was not until she felt a pair of slender arms wrap around her middle and yank her down, _through_ the table she was strapped to, that she crashed back to reality. She was surrounded by the ship, the metal pressing down on her, but not touching her. The only real thing she felt was the pair of arms tightening around her waist.

She gasped when sunlight hit her eyes. The familiar tingle of intangibility vanished and wind washed over her body. She craned her neck to the right, desperately trying to find her savior. She nearly choked when she found Ember's hardened gaze on her face.

"Ember?" She choked.

Ember smirked. "You miss me, baby-pop?"

The ghost looked exhilarated to be there. Sam grinned, before faltering. Ember rolled her eyes. "I'm on your side this time. Your little friend, the mayor, asked me to help him get you out of there."

"And you agreed?" Sam asked weakly. The weight of everything that happened to her was crashing into her now, making her incredibly aware of exactly how exhausted she really was. Ember felt it and sped up, her brow creasing in worry.

"Only 'cause everyone else agreed, too." She muttered. Sam wondered exactly who 'everyone else' was, but thought better than to ask. She merely turned her head forward again and watched the ground pass below her in a blur of green, brown, and grey. "Do those stupid bracelets actually work?" Ember demanded. Sam nodded.

They both cringed when the Fenton's shield washed over them, but it became quickly apparent that the bracelets worked on ghosts as well. Ember gave a delighted laugh and increased her speed toward Fenton Works. "They are gonna be so damn excited to see you alive."

"Yeah," Sam breathed. Ember craned around, catching sight of Sam's pale face, and grimaced.

"Well that would require you actually staying alive long enough for us to get there." Ember grumbled. Sam smiled weakly.

"I'm working on it," She mumbled.

Ember did not bother with the formalities of opening doors in her haste to get Sam back to Tucker and the others. Sam closed her eyes against the strange sensations of the ground sliding around her, opening them only when she felt air against her skin again. In the instant before everyone turned toward her and Ember, Sam saw several things.

Tucker and Valerie were huddled around the Fenton Audio Sonar. Tucker looked close to tears. Valerie actually succumbed to tears, crying in earnest as Tucker spoke with a defeated air into the microphone. Dash was pacing behind Tucker and Valerie, his face set in a hard glare. Jazz was standing, her face buried in the crook of Micah's neck, beside Tucker. Paulina and Star were busily working over injured members of the army. Star's eyes were red and puffy, her face pale beneath sparkling tear tracks. However, the instant Ember allowed herself and Sam to become visible, every single eye snapped toward the place where Ember hovered.

"Sam!" Tucker cried. He dropped the microphone and practically crawled across the cots between them as Ember gently set Sam on her feet. Sam leaned forward into Tucker's arms as he enveloped her in a gentle hug, careful to keep his arms away from her injury. For that, she was thankful.

"She's here, she's alive!" Valerie was talking into the microphone, her tear-glazed eyes never leaving Sam's face. Sam gazed at her, shuffling forward out of Tucker's embrace toward the Sonar. She pointed to it with her left hand, her eyebrows knit together in question. Wordlessly, Valerie handed the microphone to Sam, allowing several happy tears to escape as Sam fell into one of the chairs.

"Danny?" Sam breathed into the receiver.

A choked sob exploded from the speaker. "_S-Sam? Is that you?_"

"Yeah, it's me," She mumbled. She was exhausted.

Danny could hardly speak over his sobs. "_Oh, God, baby, I thought you were dead. He sent your necklace and this picture..._"

"I know," Sam said. "I was there."

His sob hitched and he choked. "_Is this your blood?_" His voice rose several octaves in his horror.

"Yeah," Sam's voice broke. _So tired._

"_You have to stop fighting,_" He croaked. "_He's gonna kill you if you don't stop. Please, baby, please stop fighting._"

Through the exhaustion and the pain, the little rebel in Sam's head stamped her foot. "No." Sam grunted before she could stop herself.

Danny did not speak for a moment. Sam swallowed and steeled herself. "_Did...did you just say...no?_"

"I said no." Sam confirmed. "I can't stop fighting. Not now. Not ever."

"_Sam..._"

"I'm capable. I can do this."

"_You're injured! Badly! Baby, please. You don't have to prove yourself to anyone. Please, God, PLEASE, stop fighting._"

Anger and humiliation at what she believed to be Danny's attempt to babysit her in front of her army - _MY army!_ She thought furiously - collided with her physical and mental pain and her exhaustion. She choked out the word 'no' one last time before gravity yanked her backwards into Tucker's outstretched arms and unconsciousness dove over her.


	26. Chapter 26

**LOLOLOLURANUS.**

**God, that never gets old.**

**About this chapter. I know I'm gonna get a ton of reviews flaming me for what you will perceive to be coupling. I SWEAR TO GOD.**

**It's nothing but Tucker/Sam brother/sister bonding fluff. K? Calm down. I don't like that couple as anything more than best friends. That's all they are in this chapter. Best. Friends.**

**So CHILL YOUR BALLS.**

**Fantastic reaction to the last chapter, guys. You didn't honestly think I'd leave Sam with Vlad, did you? Psh, no.**

**No deaths in this chapter. Just pure, unadulterated bro/sis fluff. And a little something else. Not positive. You'll see.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

**September 4, 2012**

* * *

Sam woke again some time later, her body stiff and sore. She groaned through a cleaving headache and forced her eyelids open. The ceiling above her was was unfamiliar to her at first, but as she stared at it, she realized she was lying on her back in a cot in the Fenton's basement. Her throat worked against itself as she tried to swallow. She coughed weakly, grimacing at the raw pain washing over her dry muscles.

She heard movement behind her and a moment later, Tucker was leaning over her left side, cautious eyes on her face. She turned to him and smiled weakly.

"Hey," Tucker breathed, smoothing her hair away from her face.

"Hi," she closed her eyes under his touch, revelling in the warmth it provided. She heard Tucker chuckle as his fingers continued running through her hair. She smiled slightly.

"How do you feel?" Tucker asked, his voice low and soothing against her pounding head.

She chuckled mirthlessly. "Like I died." She said hoarsely. She peeked through her lashes and saw Tucker's face bent in worry. She felt her left hand fluttering as she sought to touch Tucker's free hand. He took her hand in his as she whispered "But I'm alive."

"Barely," Tucker's adam's apple bobbed. He lifted his hand to the crown of her head and brushed his thumb over her forehead. "How you survived being alone with Vlad with a stinger in your shoulder for God only knows how many hours, I'll never know..."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, Tucker still stroking her hair. He offered her a glass of water, helping her capture the straw between her dry lips as she drank gratefully. Despite the twisted wrongness of it, Sam felt peaceful for the first time since before Danny left. Her eyes popped open, though, when she thought of Danny.

"Is he...is Danny...?" She lifted her chin and arched her neck to glance at the Fenton Audio Sonar behind her. Tucker followed her gaze and grimaced.

"Uh...yeah. Well, he's not right now, but he should be any minute now." Tucker looked away, staring off at the other side of the room. Sam sensed an issue in Tucker with Danny.

"What happened?" She breathed. Tucker's rhythmic stroking paused for a moment as he turned back to her, eyeing her carefully, before he sighed and resumed the soothing motion.

"He's pissed." Tucker muttered. Sam grimaced. "Not at you," He said quickly. "At me. Well, me, Valerie, Dash, Jazz, and...pretty much everyone else. But mostly me."

"Why?"

"I told him I wasn't gonna make you stay down here." Tucker shrugged. Sam felt a surge of affection toward the man beside her. "I told him that I would make sure you were taken care of, that you were healing, but if you wanted to go back up and fight, I wouldn't lift a finger to stop you. And everyone else agreed with me. Wholeheartedly."

The smile on Sam's face could have blinded an astronaut on the moon. Tucker chuckled, withdrawing his hand from her head and leaning backwards in his seat. "Thank you." She whispered.

Tucker rolled his eyes. "You would have run us all over if we tried to stop you." He said dismissively. "I think we all know that."

Sam glanced around the room, aware for the first time that it was empty. "Where is everyone?" She asked, turning back to Tucker, brows knit in concern.

"At City Hall. We're working with the ghosts now to set up a plan to get rid of Vlad and his aliens."

"Yeah, how did that happen?" Sam asked, trying to sit up. Tucker delayed his answer as he hooked an arm behind Sam's left shoulder, angling his arm down to avoid her injury, lifting her to a sitting position. The blood rushed out of her head and for a moment Sam thought she might pass out, but the room stopped spinning rather quickly and she was able to keep her bearings.

"Me and Val went into the Ghost Zone right after Vlad took you." Tucker said, glancing away from Sam's suddenly disapproving glare. "We went to Skulker's island, found him and Ember, and basically begged them to help us save you."

"That was dangerous." Sam said, her voice low. Tucker peered up at her over the rims of his glasses, suddenly taking the appearance of a three-year-old caught red-handed in the cookie jar. "And stupid." Tucker glanced at the blankets bunched around Sam's thighs, heat rising in his cheeks. "And very, very brave." He snapped his head back up, grinning at Sam's softened gaze. "Thank you."

"You would've done the same thing for me." He shrugged, and Sam laughed lightly because it was true. She leaned toward him and planted a soft kiss on his cheek, drawing back and laughing at his fierce blush. He took her hand and squeezed affectionately, and his gaze was gentle and familiar and it made Sam fell like she was fifteen again. "I'm really, really glad you're okay, by the way."

"So am I." Sam muttered. She glanced down at the bundled mass on the right side of her body that was her arm and shoulder, grimacing at the dots of blood spattered randomly across the gauze. "Am I still bleeding?"

"The doctor said it was starting to scab over, which is a really good sign." Tucker said. "He cleaned it after you collapsed, and he put fresh gauze on it. The shit Vlad wrapped you up with looked like it was trampled by a pack of wild horses in the middle of the desert." Sam snorted. "He said you probably won't be able to use it as well as before, but it'll still be functioning. Your shoulder, I mean."

Sam nodded. She was not surprised. Going into this battle, she was prepared for serious injury. Death, even. If the worst that happened to her was that she had a bad shoulder for the rest of her life, she would be more than happy to suffer.

"I'm quitting the mayor position as soon as this clears up." Tucker murmured. Sam snapped out of her thoughts, turning a wide-eyed gaze to Tucker's face. "I can't do it anymore. I can't miss anything else."

"But, Tucker," she said. "You're the best mayor Amity's ever had."

"Maybe I'll run again, when I'm a bit older." He shrugged. "But for now, I don't want to miss you and Val and everyone else while we're here. We're in our twenties! This is supposed to be the time of our lives!"

Sam laughed bitterly. _If_ this_ is the time of our lives_, she thought shrewdly, _I'll go ahead and kill myself now_.

"I didn't mean right this second," Tucker grumbled, drawing another laugh from Sam. "You know what I mean."

Sam let out one last snort before she nodded. "I know." She said gently. "I understand. If it's what you want to do, what makes you happy, then I'm behind you. One-hundred percent."

Tucker smiled radiantly at her. "Thank you," He said. He chewed the inside of his cheek, and Sam watched as he battled internally with himself.

"_Tucker?_" Danny's voice rang clearly from the speaker behind Sam. She turned slowly, wary of jostling her injury, as Tucker stood and scooped the microphone off of the lab desk.

"Hey, man." Tucker said, his eyes on Sam's face.

"_Anything?_"

"Yeah, actually. Hang on."

Tucker held the microphone out to Sam, his forest green eyes swirling with several unidentifiable emotions. Sam took the microphone from him, turned her gaze to her knees, and said, "Hey."

He was silent for a moment. "_Sam?_"

"Hey." She said again.

"_Are you...I mean...how...do you feel?_" He sounded stressed, more so than Sam had ever heard him before in her life. She wondered when the last time he slept was.

She decided in the seconds before she spoke to lie. The less he knew at that point, the better, she reasoned. "I'm okay, actually." She said, keeping the croak out of her voice. She glanced at Tucker, who had an eyebrow arched, but said nothing.

"_Good. Good._" She could practically hear him moving restlessly. "_I know you probably don't remember talking to me before you passed out -_"

"I do." Sam said shortly. It was the only clear memories she had before collapsing, actually.

Danny was quiet again. Sam twisted the microphone impatiently in her hands, glancing at Tucker again. He wore a steely mask of determination, alerting Sam to the fact that he had been on her end of the argument she was about to have. Sam raised both eyebrows and widened her eyes. Tucker snorted and nodded.

"_Oh._" Was all Danny could say. They were quiet again, the tension swelling between them. Sam grimaced.

"Look. I know you're worried -"

"_It's more than that._" Danny interrupted harshly. "_I'm worried about Tucker. I'm worried about Valerie, I'm worried about Jazz, and Micah, and everyone else that's trapped in there with you. But the emotions I'm feeling about you right now are so much more than that. You're not my best friend or my sister. You're my whole world, Sam. I refuse to lose you to some asshole bastard bent on destroying the world_."

Sam was speechless for a moment. She could feel his passion even in the distance between them, and part of her mind whined for her to give in just so that she could hear that hard edge leave his voice. But as usual, the little rebel in her head rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest impatiently, muttering about his extreme overprotectiveness and possessiveness. "I understand." She heard herself saying. "But if the roles were reversed...if you were here and I was out there...we both know you would still be fighting right now. Even with the injury."

"_I have ghost powers. I have years of ghost fighting experience. And, frankly, I'm -_"

"What? Stronger?" Sam felt that righteous anger coming back now. All the emotions and frustrations she felt with the army every time they shot her a pitying gaze. It threatened to spill over the brim, to explode on Danny. "You think you're stronger than me?"

"_That's not what I was going to say,_" Danny said quickly. Sam heard him sigh in frustration, obviously upset at the fact that his first conversation with her deteriorated into a fight. "_I just don't want you to get hurt again._" He said, his voice very small in the static.

Sam clenched her jaw. "I'm not a baby, Danny." She muttered. "I can handle getting a few cuts and bruises."

"_You had a fucking claw in your fucking shoulder. You got stabbed._" Danny's voice was hollow. "_If it was just a few cuts and bruises, I would have no problem with you fighting_ -"

"Oh yeah, _right_." Sam said sarcastically. She swung her legs over the side of the cot, allowing Tucker to hook his hands around her good arm and pull her to her feet. "If you had your way I'd be locked in the bunker with the rest of Amity Park."

"_That's not true_." Sam rolled her eyes at his pitiful excuse of a lie.

"Look, I'd love to stay and finish this completely pointless conversation, but I have to go. We're making plans, and I think I have some information that might actually be useful." She hesitated for an instant, before adding, "Bye, Danny."

She ignored his protests as she tossed the microphone onto the lab desk, bent beneath the table, and yanked the Fenton Audio Sonar's plug out of the wall. The speaker went quiet immediately, filling the room with a swelling silence. She straightened and turned toward Tucker, grimacing under his incredulous stare. "It had to be done." She shrugged.

Tucker's mouth snapped shut and he nodded, looking mildly impressed. "He's probably gonna kill you for that, you know."

"You act like I give a rat's ass." Sam laughed. She fell into step beside Tucker, allowing him to sling his arm around her waist and propping her elbow on his shoulder in response, and together they left the Fenton's basement and struck out toward City Hall.

Sam deteriorated alarmingly fast, going from walking to leaning heavily in a matter of minutes. Tucker did not protest, however, when her arm wound around his neck and her weight hooked on to him. Sam felt him tensing every few feet, as if he wanted to stoop and scoop her up, carrying her bridal style the rest of the way to City Hall. Part of her wished he would. But her pride was far too large to allow it, so she grit her teeth and trudged on. She had to resist sighing in relief when City Hall came into view.

Tucker left her by the front door, murmuring for her to wait there for him, and disappeared into a random side room. Sam watched him go, leaning heavily against the door frame. Her left hand rose to her neck absently, making to grab Danny's necklace, before she remembered that she no longer had it with her. She swallowed hard and dropped her hand again, ignoring the voices in her head ringing in regret for hanging up so forcefully on Danny.

_He was only trying to help. He doesn't want you to get hurt again_.

_He's being a fucking control freak_, the little rebel in her head countered. _He needs to learn that he can't control everything. He can't control me_.

_He wasn't trying to control you_, the other voice reasoned. Sam screwed her eyes shut and dug the heel of her palm into her temple, desperately trying to quiet her jumbled thoughts.

Tucker appeared a few moments later, pushing an empty wheelchair before him, gazing reproachfully at Sam. She eyed the wheelchair before turning a withering glare to Tucker's face.

"No. Uh-uh. I don't think so." She made to move forward, to stomp around him to the elevator, but her knees betrayed her. She ended up falling forward into Tucker's arm, her breath leaving her in a whoosh of air.

"Just til we get to my office. That's where everyone is. No one has to see you in it but me." He said soothingly as he pulled her back to an upright position. Sam gazed up at him warily, trying and failing to keep her chin from quivering. Tucker's brow creased as he pulled her into his chest, planting a soft, lingering kiss on her forehead. "It's okay," He whispered. "I know how strong you are. You don't have to push yourself, not with me."

Sam sighed woozily, before nodding against the crook of his neck. He helped her fall into the wheelchair, waiting until she shifted into a comfortable position before turning the chair toward the elevator. Sam closed her eyes at the sensation of losing control, of trusting Tucker completely, and felt another rush of affection for the man behind her. "I'm so happy you're my brother." She breathed.

She heard Tucker chuckle behind her as he leaned around her right side to hit the 'up' button mounted on the wall beside the elevator. His other hand closed on her left shoulder and squeezed lightly. Sam smiled at the pressure, conjuring up all the memories she could between herself and Tucker. Helping him train for the fitness test. Forcing him to go goth. Nearly dying from Ecto Acne. And hours upon hours of coming up with excuses to be used on prying eyes when Danny would inexplicably disappear.

He knelt to her side as the elevator doors rattled open, planting a light kiss on her left cheek. "Love you, sis." He murmured against her bruised skin.

* * *

**HARMLESS BRO/SIS FLUFF. PLEASE DON'T FLAME ME FOR MAKING IT LOOK LIKE TUCKER IS SECRETLY IN LOVE WITH SAM. TUCKER LOVES VALERIE AND SAM LOVES DANNY. THIS SHOULD BE ABUNDANTLY CLEAR BY NOW.**

**And if it isn't yet, it will be very soon.**

**Is that a spoiler I just dropped?**

**Oh God. Oh God. Danny's so pissed.**

**Woooo.**

**Okay I don't know when I'll be able to post again. I don't get off 'til 8 tomorrow night. I'm at work pretty much all day. I'll try my hardest to get another chapter out by midnight or a little later, but no promises.**

**We're close, guys. Groundwork is laid out. Details are falling into place.**

**But I think I can milk another ten or fifteen chapters out of this. **

**You hate me yet?**

**Oh, don't worry.**

**You will. Soon.**

**Very, very soon.**

**LAWLZ MAI BALLZ.**

**- Tori**


	27. Chapter 27

**SO I GOT MY SCHEDULE WRONG TODAY. I'M NOT DUE IN TIL THREE WHICH IS IN 45 MINUTES.**

**FML.**

**Well I guess it's a good thing for y'all because it means I got to write this out.**

**I don't have anything else to say, so I'll go ahead and post this and get ready for work.**

**AGAIN.**

**No character deaths.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

**September 5, 2012**

* * *

Sam had to force herself to stand when the elevator stopped and Tucker pushed her wheelchair to just outside his closed office doors. She could hear people speaking in hushed tones behind the wooden doors, but they were far too quiet for Sam to understand. Tucker rounded to the front of the wheelchair and took her left hand. She began to pull her weight up, cringing when she felt his free hand take her waist to steady her.

She leaned her left side into Tucker's right side, her elbow tucked into his armpit. He lifted his left leg and pushed Sam's wheelchair away with the heel of his foot. His entire body was tensed, ready to catch Sam should she collapse. Her left hand scrabbled up his back and latched on to the loose fabric of his shirt between his shoulder blades. She closed her eyes against the waves of nausea and pain, breathing deeply to keep her bearings and shivering as the air conditioning sent goosebumps racing down the exposed skin of her arms. She cursed whoever peeled her jacket and long-sleeved shirt off of her thin frame while she slept.

Though, as she thought about it, she realized her clothing was probably in shreds by the time she got back to Fenton Works, and it was probably for the better that the blood-stained, tattered cloth was no longer adorning her body.

Tucker waited until Sam leaned away from him, testing a bit of her weight on her feet, and glanced up at him. She nodded slightly and smiled as he lead her to the office doors. He twisted the knob in his left hand, keeping his right arm tight around Sam's waist, and pulled the door open.

Sam kept her chin high as every eye, dead and alive, turned to her and Tucker.

"_Sam_!" Valerie cried. Sam smiled as Valerie rushed toward her, carefully avoiding the injury as she hugged Sam. "Oh God...we've been so worried!"

"Good to see you alive, baby-pop." Ember said, placing a cold hand on Sam's left shoulder as Valerie pulled away. Dash stood and gathered her in his arms, hugging her soundlessly as Sam snaked her left arm around the jock's middle.

"Here, Sam," Jazz offered her a high-backed chair, which Sam fell into gratefully. The redhead crouched before her and hugged her gently. "God, Danny probably hates me right now..." She said suddenly, pulling away and wiping at her eyes.

Sam grimaced, shifting uncomfortably in the chair. "Probably not as much as he hates me..."

She could see the question in Jazz's eyes, but Tucker began speaking, ending the conversation before it really began. "Okay, guys," He said, moving around the back of Sam's chair and pushing it toward the long foldable table someone set up in the center of the office. "What did y'all come up with while we were gone?"

"Big fat bowl of nothing." Ember said, leaning against the wall and flicking her bangs out of her eyes lazily. Valerie huffed at her, earning a large eye-roll from the ghost. "You wanna lie?"

"No..." Valerie grumbled.

Jazz leaned across the table, planting her hands on the shining surface as her long sheet of flaming red hair fell across her shoulder. "Guys?" She said gently. "Can we focus?" The girls said nothing, crossing their arms and looking pointedly away from each other. Sam snorted, imagining the fights that probably happened between the two while she was asleep. "Okay...I guess I'll tell them." Jazz shook her head, turning back toward where Tucker and Sam were as Skulker moved to stand behind her. "After Ember took Sam from Vlad's ship, Skulker lead the other ghosts in keeping Vlad distracted long enough for Ember to get back inside our shield."

Skulker grunted, causing Jazz to turn slightly toward him, glancing at the hulking ghost and cocking a thin eyebrow at him. "The snake was far too quick for us to keep up with." He growled. "We were able to distract him long enough, chase him down to the outer edge of his shield, but when he realized that Em was out of reach, he vanished."

"I tried to scramble the computers on the ship, but the technology was far more advanced than anything I've ever seen before," Technus said forlornly, glancing out the window as he spoke. The black lenses of his glasses caught the weak light filtering through the angry, swirling storm clouds blocking the moon and stars above.

Sam stared at him, his words stirring something in her memories. She blinked rapidly, trying to solidify her thoughts.

"Don't worry about it," Tucker said. "Not surprising, actually. I was expecting it to be a lot harder to get in to the ship, to be honest, considering the shield around the city -"

"That's it!" Sam said suddenly. Tucker's words brought the memory back in full force; laying there on the lab desk in Vlad's ship, staring around the room at the maps and schematics plastered to the walls. One she saw to her right was of the ship, a rough outline of the shield it produced. Arrows pointing from the underbelly of the ship to the arching dome above it. "I know the weakness!"

"What?" Tucker quickly crouched to her left, taking Sam's left hand and squeezing. "You...you know the weakness?"

Sam nodded eagerly, leaning forward, planting her elbow on the table. "I saw something while I was in there. I saw a blueprint of the shield. Their ship produces it, the way Fenton Works produces ours. The shield is part of the ship." The others were nodding excitedly, and Sam grinned. "The shield is produced by the ship. It's part of the ship. Vlad reconfigured it up and out, but it's originally the bottom layer of the the ship."

Tucker blinked, lack of understanding in his eyes. Sam huffed impatiently. "The bottom of the ship is completely exposed. If we blow the bottom up, the whole thing goes down."

"We could take the ship out, which would bring their shield down," Tucker said slowly, and Sam nodded. "With the shield down, we could get help. We've got every single authority in the United States out there. SWAT. FBI. CIA. Army, Marines..." Tucker's eyes glazed behind his glasses as he thought through Sam's plan. "We could actually win."

"Wait, wait!" The Lunch Lady lunged forward away from the window, clapping excitedly. "Vlad calls them in every morning! The aliens, I saw it! A notice, on the wall of the ship, written in English and...their language. Every morning at seven, they meet and Vlad tells them what to do that day. We could blow the ship up -"

"With all of them inside," Sam finished her sentence. They were absolutely silent, the gravity of the plan that just formed weighing down on them heavily. "We could take them all out in one blow."

"We would need bombs." Dash said hoarsely. "A _lot_ of bombs."

"I could take care of that." Skulker said, a sinister grin on his face. Sam felt a rush of mixed fear and pleasure at that look; she had been on the receiving end of it so many times, it was a refreshing change to see it directed at someone else.

"Jazz, you mentioned back with this started that our shield can solidify completely? Keep debris out?" Jazz nodded, her eyes wide at Tucker's implication. "For how long?"

"Ten, maybe fifteen minutes," Her voice was trembling.

"That's all the time we would need." Sam said confidently.

"With the amount of explosives it would take to destroy that ship, it would cause a mass amount of damage to the area of the city outside of your shield." Skulker said slowly. Tucker stood, squaring his jaw. "Are you willing to sacrifice that part of the city?"

"It's already been bombed once." Tucker shrugged. Sam grimaced at the memory. "One more time won't make much of a difference at this point."

Skulker nodded. "I'll start the preparations." He said, floating up toward the ceiling and slipping into intangibility. Ember, Technus, and the Lunch Lady followed, along with a few others, murmuring their desire to help Skulker gather supplies. The living were left alone, some muttering nervously. Sam turned toward Tucker, looking up at him anxiously.

Tucker dropped into a crouch, bringing his face even with hers. "This is gonna be so awesome." He murmured excitedly.

Sam bit her lip. "What time is it now?" She asked, realizing for the first time that she had no sense of time now.

Tucker glanced at the clock on the wall, his brows knit together. "Six-thirty." He whispered.

"A half-hour? That's all we have, a _half-hour_?" Her rising hysteria caught the attention of those around her. Dash pushed back from the table and moved to Sam's right side, his hand gently brushing against her right shoulder blade, fingers fluttering around the gauze partially hidden beneath the white tank top clinging to her torso.

"It's gonna be okay," He said soothingly. Sam turned to him, trying to slow her heavy breathing. "Everything's gonna be fine."

"We can do this, Sam," Valerie said confidently, stretching her hand across the table and drumming her fingers in front of Sam. Sam closed her eyes and breathed deeply, allowing the little rebel in her head to take control. She nodded and swallowed.

"Shit. Let's go blow Vlad up."

* * *

Sam shifted uncomfortably, wincing at the feeling of leather weighing against her injured shoulder. She was crouched beside the entrance of an underground bomb shelter of an old house outside the Fenton's shield, drumming her fingers against the cobblestone she leaned against. Tucker offered her his jacket as they split off, which she accepted with little objection. It was two sizes too big for her, but it did not matter. She would not need it much longer.

Heavy footfalls approached from the other side of the bomb shelter entrance, and Sam poked her head just to find Dash jogging toward her. He was grinning goofily.

"Hey. We're about to start." He said, yanking the doors of the bomb shelter open as Sam scurried to his side. She felt his hand on the small of her back, guiding her into the bomb shelter.

"You guys get them all set up?" Sam asked as Dash climbed down the steps, swinging the doors shut behind himself and sliding the lock into place. The room was dark, a single bare lightbulb dangling from the ceiling the only source of light.

"Yep. We've got about two minutes before they detonate." Dash nodded. Sam swallowed and inched toward him subconsciously, mentally counting down the seconds until they bombs exploded and the nightmare was over. "It's almost over." Dash breathed, sounding far away.

"Jazz have the shield solidified?"

"Should be up right...now." Dash was staring at the tiny hands of his wristwatch, glancing up as the moment came. Distantly, Sam heard the sounds of a machine chugging heavily as the shield began sucking mass amounts of power. Technus would be there, contributing his power to the shield to buy a little more time.

Sam blinked at him. "I'm sorry." She whispered. Dash turned to her sharply, his face bent in confusion. "For...everything."

"You don't have to apologize -"

"But I do." Sam interrupted. "I had no right to treat you the way I did. You've _definitely_ earned my trust. Beyond a shadow of a doubt."

Dash smiled, his arms working beneath his jacket. He reached for her and she conceded, tucking herself into his side, resisting the urge to sigh as she imagined being in Danny's side. She swallowed.

"Danny's gonna kill me so hard..." She whispered, her voice crackling and threatening to break into a whimper. Dash tightened his grip around her waist.

"Once he sees you alive, I think you'll be okay." She closed her eyes, praying that he was right.

The sound reached them before the shock waves did. Sam let a gasp escape as Dash brought his other arm around her waist, letting her crush her face into his chest, his nose in her neck, as the world exploded above them.

* * *

**Oh did I forget to mention we would be reaching a climax in this chapter?**

**My bad.**

**(:**

**Please note the careful use of "a" as opposed to "the" in that first sentence.**

**WHATT?**

**- Tori**


	28. Chapter 28

**Short.**

**Sweet.**

**To the point.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

**September 6, 2012**

* * *

Sam clung to Dash, ignoring the burning pain coiling through her shoulder as she crushed herself to him. Over the stampede of terrible noises above, Sam could just barely hear the sounds of herself and Dash gasping for air. Dust began to leak through the cracks in the door, washing up and over their faces and solidifying in their lungs. A whimper squeaked through her lips and she felt Dash's rippling muscles constricting even more tightly at the sound.

After what felt like hours, the sounds slowly died down. Sam waited until she was certain she no longer heard the sounds of collapsing structures before she opened her eyes and leaned away from Dash, though not breaking her hold on his arm. They stared at the doors of the bomb shelter. Dust clouds swirled erratically, visible for only a brief moment as they danced through the light slipping through the cracks before vanishing into the shadows. Sam furrowed her brow, realizing that water was dripping through the cracks rather quickly. It was almost as if a giant garden hose was turned on full blast on the other side of the doors.

"Did a pipe burst?" Sam wondered aloud. She winced at the hoarse, scratchy quality of her voice.

"I dunno," Dash murmured. He slowly loosened his hold around Sam's waist, stepping toward the doors cautiously. Sam held her breath as Dash lifted his hands to the door and undid the lock.

He placed both hands on either door and pushed.

The doors did not move.

He grunted and pushed again, this time a bit harder. Still, the doors refused to give way. Dash exhaled noisily, the sound he made when he was angry, Sam realized, and positioned his shoulder against the doors. He tensed his legs and shoved with all his might against the doors, throwing his full body weight in on top of his ridiculous strength.

The doors did not move.

Sam felt herself slipping into a panic. They were trapped in the bomb shelter, with no way of knowing if the bomb worked or not. Dash, who descended the stairs to fix a frustrated gaze on the doors, turned sharply at the sounds of Sam's fast decline to hyperventilation. He was at her side immediately.

"Relax. Sh-h. It's okay. Something probably fell against the door, it's probably blocking our way out. Don't worry. We're gonna be fine."

Sam bit her tongue, hard, to keep herself from whining. She tried to focus on Dash's words, blocking out the fear and pain. Her shoulder was beginning to throb rather painfully. Her knees shook. Suddenly she wished she was still in the wheelchair.

The Fenton Phones, which were all but forgotten in her ears, beeped. Sam jumped at the noise, but her left hand flew up to accept the call eagerly.

"Sam? You and Dash okay?"

"We're okay," Sam gasped, smiling broadly at Dash. "But we're trapped."

"I'll send someone your way."

"Did it work?" Her voice quivered with a mixture of fear and hope. She heard Tucker chuckle.

"Yeah. It worked. They're gone. Obliterated, actually." Sam heard a distant bang and several loud voices. Tucker's breath hitched. "I have to go. I'll see you soon."

"Tuck, Wait!" But he was already gone. Sam growled, throwing her left arm down to her side in frustration. She regretted the motion almost immediately, as it sent sharp pangs through her shoulder and drove spikes through her head. Dash raised an eyebrow in question, his body tensed. "He's sending someone our way."

"Did it work?"

Sam nodded, unable to contain a smile as Dash whooped excitedly. "Thank God!"

She felt a cool breeze to her right and she turned, her eyes landing on the upside-down image of Ember and Skulker's shoulders and heads, which were hanging from the doors. Ember grinned crookedly, her eyes twinkling with mirth.

"So, we won." She said, shrugging nonchalantly. Sam laughed weakly, tightening her grip on Dash's sleeve. Skulker grimaced.

"I know an injured target when I see one." He said in what Sam guessed was a gentle tone. "You need medical care."

"I got her." Ember phased the rest of the way through the door, flipping right side up, and reached for Sam. Dash kept his hands on Sam's back until she was leaning into Ember. He waited to step away until after Ember hooked an arm beneath Sam's knees and lifted her up. Sam had her left arm slung around Ember's neck, desperately trying to keep herself upright, as the sensation of being lifted and turned sideways sent the room into a tailspin. "We'll see you guys there."

Sam closed her eyes as an unpleasant tingle washed through her body. Ember floated easily upward, sliding through the doors as if they were air. Sam opened her eyes on the other side and gasped.

The water leaking through the cracks was not from a garden hose. It was rain. Vlad's shield was gone. She turned her face up, staring as the droplets hurtled toward her, and then through her, as she was still intangible. She never imagined she would be quite as excited over rain as she was in that moment. Ember chuckled, bringing Sam back to Earth, and kicked off toward the hospital.

"There are a bunch of people there already." Ember explained as they soared over the buildings. Sam looked down and saw a clear line between the buildings still intact that were behind the Fenton's shield, and the buildings that were not so lucky. She swallowed at the smoking debris below, and a sudden, terrible thought came to her.

"Kwan!" She gasped. Ember's eyes flicked to Sam's face as a grimaced folded the corners of her mouth down. "We left him down there!"

"No, we didn't," Ember said gently. "While you were sleeping, we...the ghosts...went and...um...gathered everyone left behind." Her despair directly conflicted with her thankfulness. "They were inside the Fenton's shield."

Sam closed her eyes and nodded, trying to focus on the feeling of the rain falling through her body. It was strange, but not unpleasant. She did not open her eyes again until Ember stopped short, hovering in place. One look at her and Sam knew something bad was happening.

"What the hell is that?" Ember murmured. Sam looked down and felt her eyes bulge at the sight below.

A giant tunnel, made completely of thick, clear plastic, barred the entrance to the hospital. Hundreds of people were mobbed around the tunnel, camera bulbs were flashing, and even at the distance Sam floated, she could hear frantic voices shouting and screaming. Sam tightened her grip around Ember's neck as the ghost moved forward slowly, keeping a wary gaze fixated on the mob.

They were still about ten feet away, a good fifteen feet above the ground, when they were spotted. "Sam Manson!" A masculine voice screamed from somewhere in the depths of the mob. Instantly they were upon Sam and Ember, microphones shoved in their faces, demanding to know exactly what happened to them. Sam felt her hearing go fuzzy and her vision swim as the sheer weight of sound pressing down on her threatened to pull her into unconsciousness, but luckily, Ember simply phased through them without a backwards glance.

Sam gasped when the first raindrop hit the crown of her head and trickled down through her hair, signalling that she was completely solid again. Men and women in full hazmat suits, impersonal breathing masks over their faces, yanked Sam out of Ember's arms and forced her into a wheelchair. Sam began to panic, craning around in her seat and reaching for Ember again, but the ghost was already swallowed by the mob. Sam was wheeled quickly into the tunnel, but they left her only a few feet in when Skulker landed with Dash. Sam began lifting herself up, intending to tell the doctors off, but before she could a woman in a hazmat suit forced her down again. "Sit." She ordered, her voice strange and filtered through the mask.

"Sam, Sam, it's okay!" She heard Dash behind her. She turned and saw that he, too, was in a wheelchair, being pushed rapidly in her direction. "I'm right here, it's gonna be fine!"

Sam felt herself relaxing, the tone of Dash's voice convincing her that the doctors were not going to hurt her. They were half-way through the tunnel when Sam heard it.

"SAM!" She turned to her left and her eyes landed on a pale figure shoving his way through the crowd, face bent in desperation and panic. "SAM!"

"Danny!" She gasped. And just like that, all of her exhaustion and fear was gone, replaced by a burning desire to feel Danny's arms around her. Hands were holding her back, though, voices urging her not to struggle. But she did not feel them, did not hear them.

Danny was desperately trying to tear through the plastic to get to her, veins bulging in his neck and forehead for how hard he struggled. Sam registered that there were arms around him, yanking him backwards, and Danny was struggling against them for all he was worth. Dash's face filled her vision, begging her to sit, and she realized she was half-way out of the wheelchair, tears streaming down her face. "Please, Sam, you're gonna hurt yourself even more!"

"NO, SAM! _SAM_!" Sam collapsed back into the wheelchair and began sobbing in earnest as the men and women in hazmat suits carted her away from Danny. Her chest heaved under the pressure. She was thrashing against their hands, ignoring their pleas to hold still mingling with Dash's desperate begging. It was not until she felt a small, painful prick to her upper arm that the calm that had eluded her for days finally burst through her, dulling her senses and darkening her vision, sending her into a cool, comfortable float.


	29. Chapter 29

**Updating twice in one day AGAINNN because I have no LIIIIIFE**

**Hmf.**

**Okay. About the end of this chapter. I'M SORRY.**

**You'll figure it out...**

**I don't own Danny Phantom...**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

**September 6, 2012**

* * *

A great roaring clap of thunder jolted Sam out of her deep sleep. She blinked rapidly at a foreign ceiling, feeling an odd mix of pain and weightlessness that surged through her body. She tested her muscles, letting her right shoulder twitch. She felt pangs of something like pain in the muscles of that shoulder, numbed by the medicine surely absorbed into her bloodstream at that moment. She let her eyelids flutter open, and a sigh escaped her lips as she watched the shadows cast across the ceiling by jagged forks of lightning move subtly. Her right arm was bent at a ninety degree angle at the elbow, the underside of her forearm resting against her stomach. She could feel the heaviness of the cast holding her arm and shoulder in place rubbing against her stomach through the blankets wrapped around her figure.

Her mind was delightfully empty, the only thoughts forming swirling around the lack of feeling in her body. She chuckled lightly, closing her eyes and licking her lips. The sensation was such a huge improvement over the constant stress and fear she had been suffering through. Memories of the battle came back to her, but the emptiness kept the emotions associated with them from reaching her. She smiled sleepily again, nearly giving in to the temptation to sleep again.

A quiet noise to her right sharpened her senses for a moment. She turned to her right and squinted through her lashes, to find Tucker laying on his side on a hospital bed a few feet away. His hands were folded beneath his left cheek, his glasses slightly askew, his beret completely off-kilter. His eyes were half-lidded in exhaustion, but the corner of his mouth turned up in a grin when their eyes met. He pulled his right hand out from beneath his cheek and waved clumsily. Sam giggled and waved back, curling her fingers over her face a few times. Tucker's grin widened as he chuckled.

"Hi," He breathed. Sam smiled as Tucker stretched and yawned, rolling onto his back with a small huff. He turned his head to his left, a merry twinkle in his eye.

"Hey." Sam whispered. She closed her eyes briefly, breathing in the scent of the hospital room. It was strangely soothing.

"How you feelin'?" Tucker asked, his voice rough. Sam peered over at him, feeling another swell of affection for him at the gruff, concerned look on his face. "You get enough sleep?"

"I feel good." Sam said honestly. Tucker's gaze softened into a relaxed smile again. A wave of awareness washed through her, and she felt her brow crease. "How long was I asleep?"

Tucker grimaced. "Um...well..." He shifted uncomfortably, turning his gaze up to the ceiling and chewing on the inside of his cheek.

"Tuck." Sam said gently.

He glanced back at her, before closing his eyes and sighing. "Seventy-one hours." He said, his voice barely audible.

Sam felt a spreading numbness shoot through her body that had nothing to do with the medication dripping into her system through the IV in her left arm. She clenched her jaw and swallowed hard.

"Three days?" She said, her voice hardly louder than a whisper. "Who thought it would be a good idea for me to sleep for _three days_?"

"Hey, you needed it." Tucker said earnestly. Sam rolled her eyes. "You needed it more than any of us."

"Three days!" Sam growled. "Oh God..." panic was welling in her chest, cutting her air off. "Was I...did I sleep when...D-Danny?"

Again, Tucker grimaced, and Sam felt her heart drop directly through her feet. Her face must have given that away, because Tucker was quick to repair the damage he accidentally inflicted. "No, he hasn't even been in here yet." Tucker reassured her. "You didn't miss him."

Sam was quiet, revelling in the feeling of relief. The feeling was short-lived, however, as a new source of panic made itself known. "W-why?"

"We're quarantined." Tucker muttered. Sam turned sharply toward him, feeling pain in her shoulder for the first time since awakening. "It's just a precaution. It's just as much for our safety as theirs."

"For how long?"

"Um...how long have we been quarantined or how much longer will we be quarantined?" Tucker asked carefully.

"How much longer?"

"Well...originally, the doctors wanted to keep us here for a month."

"A _month_?" Sam nearly shrieked. "Thirty-one days? Are you kidding me?"

"Originally, yeah. But the Fentons managed to talk them down to a week. Well, Jack and Maddie did." Sam could not contain her whine. She wished the thunder had not woken her, that she had slept for several more days. "But..." Tucker snapped her out of her thoughts. "Danny...er..._convinced_ them to make it three days."

Sam glanced at the clock impulsively. Seven forty-five. Judging by the amount of light filtering through the shaded window, it was in the morning. She turned her gaze back to Tucker.

"So...we get out of quarantine..."

"In fifteen minutes." Tucker finished with a nod. Sam nodded back, trying to quell the anxiety in her heart.

"Since when can Danny convince anyone to do anything?" Sam asked, cocking an eyebrow at Tucker. "Last time I checked, he was the least smooth person I ever met. He couldn't convince grass to grow."

"Uh...yeah. I used the word 'convince'...liberally." He swallowed, his adam's apple bobbing.

"Have you seen him?" Sam breathed.

"No. But I've...heard him." Tucker closed his eyes and shook his head. "Jesus, Sam. When he saw you outside...he lost it. I mean...he _lost it_. And when they took you inside, without letting him get to you..." Sam suddenly became aware that she was holding her breath. She released the carbon dioxide from her longs in a long, slow breath, as Tucker tried to find the words to describe the memory. "I was already in here, and I could hear him. I mean, I could hear him all the way up here, from this room. We're on the _fourth floor_, Sam. The doctors told me that his parents had to use Fenton Rope to keep him from phasing in here." He sucked in a shaking breath. "I can hear him out there occasionally, yelling at the doctors. I think he shot an ecto blast at one of them yesterday."

Sam released a disapproving tut. "He has the worst temper," She murmured. Tucker snorted and nodded. She closed her eyes and let her head loll from side to side, bringing her left hand up to press her index finger against the center of her forehead. It was an old trick her grandmother taught her for when she felt dizzy; _'Focus on the tip of your finger on the tip of your brain, and the room will stop spinning.'_ Sam did just that, focusing on the slender point of her finger barely pressed against her forehead. Her eyelids fluttered open, eyes nearly crossing as they tried to bring the palm of her hand into focus. They uncrossed as her vision travelled further down her hand, pausing on her wrist. A row of blood red _X_'s crisscrossed around her delicate wrist, etched deeply in her skin. She felt her heart flutter at the sight.

"What?" She gasped, drawing her hand away from her face to get a better look at the marks on her wrist.

"Oh...uh, yeah. It's...from the bracelets." Sam whipped her head toward him, her left hand still held aloft. "Jazz _did_ say they were prototypes. They worked really well by locking in to our genetic signatures. It...well...it left these marks on our wrists." Tucker revealed his left wrist, which bore a row of marks similar to Sam's. "Doctor said it's gonna scar."

Sam swallowed hard. "Sucks," She said, her voice sounding strange over the lump in her throat. Concern flashed in his eyes, but Sam ignored him, staring at the ceiling instead. Eventually Tucker looked away as well, and they lapsed into a comfortable silence. Sam's eyes gravitated repeatedly to the clock.

At three minutes until eight in the morning, Tucker spoke again. "They're gonna move us to another room when we get out of here." he said in a low voice. "They'll come in, change the gowns, get us in wheelchairs, and wheel us up to the eighth floor."

"So many things wrong with what you just said..." Sam mumbled, rubbing her forehead with her left hand. "Gowns?"

"Hospital gowns." Tucker confirmed. Sam lifted the edge of the blanket and peered down at her body, noticing for the first time that she was wearing a pale blue hospital gown. She shifted her legs, noticing the feel of three knots holding the thin fabric in place under her back. "What else?"

"Why wheelchairs?" She asked, tugging the blankets back up to her chin.

"To make sure we don't collapse on the way up there." Tucker said. "They just want to be as careful as possible with us."

Sam nodded, choking down the feelings of rebellion that threatened to rear up inside her at this latest piece of information. She glanced at the clock. One minute.

Those sixty seconds were the longest Sam ever lived through. She was nearly coming out of her own skin in anticipation when the door to their little room opened, revealing a short, plump, motherly looking nurse. She smiled kindly as Sam as she walked further into the room, followed closely by a male nurse. "Miss Manson!" She cooed, crossing around to the left side of Sam's bed and checking the IV in the crease of her elbow. "It's so good to see you awake!"

Sam chuckled nervously, glancing at Tucker. He gave her a reassuring smile as the male nurse helped him up to a sitting position, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "It's good to be awake, I guess."

The nurse laughed good-naturedly as the male nurse wheeled two folded wheelchairs into the room. He parked one at the foot of Sam's bed, pushing the other to Tucker's bedside. "You might feel a little pinch, here," Sam's nurse said, drawing her attention back down to her arm. The nurse deftly removed the tube draining the bag of medicine into her system with a strange tugging sensation on Sam's arm. She closed her eyes against the unpleasant sensation. A low hum escaped her throat as a wave of nausea washed through her.

She let her mind disconnect as the male nurse lifted her from her bed and gently sat her in the wheelchair at the foot of her bed. The female nurse shot a significant glance at the male nurse, who nodded and wheeled Tucker out without a word. Sam stared after them, eyes wide in alarm, as the door closed behind the two.

"Relax, sweetheart." The nurse said soothingly. "I didn't think you would want them to be here when I change the gown."

Sam deflated, the alarm flooding out of her instantly. "Oh." She smiled. "Right. I forgot about that part." The nurse trilled with laughter as she slid out of Sam's vision. Sam could feel the nurse's fingers on her back, moving gently but effectively over the bruises on her back and shoulders. She pulled the gown away and Sam was left shivering in the wheelchair until the nurse returned with a fresh gown. This one, Sam noticed with a rush of appreciation, did not have a slit in the back. The nurse worked the right sleeve over the cast encasing Sam's arm and shoulder before helping her pull the rest of the gown over her head.

Tucker and the male nurse were sitting just outside the door, waiting for Sam to emerge. Tucker's face visibly softened when the door finally cracked open and his forest green eyes found Sam's. She smiled serenely at him.

The nurses wheeled Tucker and Sam down a long, stark-white hallway. Sam glanced over her shoulder repeatedly, listening intently for any signs of Danny. But she only heard silence. They turned a corner and Sam found herself face-to-face with a large metallic elevator. The male nurse behind Tucker hit the up button and almost immediately the doors slid open, permitting their entrance.

The atmosphere of the eighth floor, once they emerged onto it, was much the same as the fourth. Sam could not find any apparent signs of life, besides Tucker next to her and the nurses behind her. She clenched her jaw and tried not to drum her fingers on the armrest of the wheelchair in her impatience. Tucker glanced at her and snickered quietly. Sam shot him a dirty look.

"Here we are," The female nurse sang as they approached an open door. Sam glanced at the plaque on the door as she rolled by; they were in room 816. She turned her head toward the depths of the room and smiled.

Valerie was perched on the edge of one of the beds, eyes shining and mouth pulled into an impossibly gigantic grin. She squealed when they came closer and lurched off the bed, landing none too smoothly on Tucker's lap, flinging her arms around his neck, and kissing him full on the mouth. He grunted in surprise but brought his hands up to her, one on her knee and one on her back, and kissed her back. The nurse pushing Sam chuckled and wheeled Sam to the edge of the bed Valerie previously occupied. The male nurse left Tucker and Valerie to their business. He scooped Sam up easily and placed her in the bed as the female nurse reattached the IV and drew several of the folded blankets up around her. Tucker and Valerie were just coming up for air as the nurses left, shaking their heads and laughing at the teens' antics. The door shut with a soft click.

"Sam!" Valerie squealed, scrambling out of Tucker's lap and diving toward the bed. Her arms were around Sam's neck and Sam lifted her left arm clumsily, wary of the tubes connected to the limb, patting Valerie gently. Valerie pulled away and began talking immediately, much to Sam and Tucker's chagrin. "Ohmigod, I've been dying without you guys. They had me all alone with Star, and you guys know I love Star, but after everything that's happened she was so depressed and I had no idea what to do I mean don't get me wrong I know what happened to her is tragic and _terrible_ and all that but three days locked in a room with someone who just lost the love of their life is just _torture_!" Valerie drew a long breath, earning a snort from Sam and a chuckle from Tucker, who was out of the wheelchair and ambling his way to his own bed. "Speaking of loves of people's lives, I can't _wait_ to see Danny! Oh, God, I bet that reunion was amazing, wasn't it?"

"Um...ah...actually...I haven't, um...seen him. Yet." Valerie's ecstatic expression dropped instantly.

"Oh," She said, looking apologetic. But suddenly a grin to rival the Cheshire Cat's split across her face. "I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees you!"

"You won't have to wait for long." Tucker said quietly. Valerie whirled around to face him, giving Sam a full view of the door to their room. It was open again - _when did it open?_ - and framed in the doorway was a man with jet-black hair and crazed ice-blue eyes.

"Danny," Sam whispered.

* * *

**OKAYOKAY I'M SORRY**

**I tried SO HARD to get the reunion in this chapter but the story wouldn't let me! I'm sorry! D':**

**Next chapter, though. I swear.**

**Oh, and just so you guys don't think you're in the clear and all that, there's still another character death coming. You. Shall. See.**

**Please tell me if you think this story is too drawn out. I've been getting mostly positive stuff, which is fantastic. But if you're reading this and you're like "alright, come on, let's get to the freakin' end here..." let me know. I don't want to ramble.**

**That being said, this story has turned into my longest story yet. By far. And I'm enjoying it so much more than I ever thought I could. I hope you guys are, too.**

**K. Bye. (:**

**- Tori**


	30. Chapter 30

**And now...the moment you've all been waiting for...**

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Thirty**

**September 7, 2012**

* * *

Danny crossed the room in an instant. Before Sam could even process what was happening, she was being pulled to a sitting position. Two very strong arms were crushing her into a heavily muscled torso. Hot tears were leaking from the corners of her eyes as Danny's chest heaved against her. He was positively trembling with sobs as he scrambled to get closer to her. Fingers dove into her hair, tugging and pulling at the knotted bun someone pulled it into while she was sleeping. It fell, the tips just barely brushing her shoulders, as Danny seized a fistful on the back of her head and squeezed. Sam closed her eyes at the sensation, which surprisingly was not entirely unpleasant. In fact, she almost enjoyed it.

For a while, no one spoke. The only sounds were Danny's tapering sobs and quiet sniffles from Sam and Valerie. Sam managed to catch a glimpse of the other two over Danny's shoulder; even Tucker looked a bit misty. But then Danny moved and Sam closed her eyes again, losing herself in the feeling of being in his arms. He pulled away abruptly, his bloodshot eyes on her face as he searched her. He brought his left hand to her face, cupping her cheek and running this thumb over her nose and left cheekbone. She smiled when the pad of his thumb ran over her lips. He brought his forehead down to hers, his face so close that Sam could feel his warm breath washing over her face and neck. He smelled the same as he always did, though, after not having the scent available, it seemed so much better to Sam. She released a shuddering breath she did not realize she was holding, ignoring the burning feel of tears slipping down her face.

Danny pulled away slightly, pressing his lips to Sam's forehead. He continued pressing kisses against her, all down her face. She winced a little when he reached the bruises left from Vlad's blows, and he jerked back at the involuntary movement, searching her face wildly. She swung her left hand up to the back of his neck and yanked him back toward her, and they groaned simultaneously as their lips crashed together. She felt her toes curling into the sheets of the hospital bed as Danny's tongue pried her lips open and prodded her mouth greedily. The tubes in her arm tugged uncomfortably as Danny shifted her closer, but Sam paid no mind to the sensation.

Tucker cleared his throat pointedly, reminding the newly reunited couple of his and Valerie's presence. Danny reluctantly removed his mouth from Sam's, but kept her his forehead against hers. He released a shaky, watery laugh, cupping Sam's right cheek and stroking her cheekbone. His eyes were on hers, and for a moment Sam felt as if she was drowning. But he nudged her one last time, brushing his lips lightly against hers, before pulling away completely. He kept his arms around her as he perched on the edge of her bed, hardly able to tear his gaze away from her long enough to glance at Tucker and Valerie. It was not until Sam leaned her head against his shoulder, her forehead against the crook of his neck, that he finally turned his attention to Valerie and Tucker.

Sam opened her eyes to find Tucker and Valerie watching them, large grins on their faces. Valerie was waving her hand in front of her face in an effort not to cry. "I've been waiting to see that since this mess started," She laughed, tightening her grip around Tucker.

"So have I." Danny said, his voice rumbling in his chest. His arm around her shoulders pulled her closer and Sam felt him press a kiss into her hair. She felt sick.

Tucker was speaking, asking Danny something about someone outside, but Sam was barely listening. She could feel the color draining from her face and neck as that sick feeling grew, making her feel as though she was about to lose the contents of her stomach. She swallowed, overcome with the urge to shove Danny away and curl into the fetal position.

"Sam?" Valerie's voice sounded strange, as if she was speaking into a pillow. Sam felt Danny pull away and peer into her face, and then hands were forcing her backwards, into a laying position on the bed. She closed her eyes as her newly freed hair pooled on the pillow on either side of her face. Her hearing faded out, leaving her in a comfortable, ringing silence. She let her eyelids flutter open, to find Danny's face inches from her. His lips were moving and he was speaking to her, but the sound was not reaching her. He must have asked her a question, because his eyebrows were raised and he was looking at her pointedly. She blinked.

Danny turned to Tucker and Valerie and spoke again, his alarm a tangible thing radiating off of him. Sam closed her eyes briefly, letting her eyes roll back in her head at the swell of vertigo, but opened them again when sounds began to reach her. Their voices were fuzzy, but Sam could still clearly hear their panic.

She registered that they were calling the nurses repeatedly. "I'm okay," she gasped, waving her left arm lazily as her hearing returned. "I'm fine."

A large, warm hand seized hers and held it tightly. Danny slid into her view again, eyes blazing. "Sam?"

"I'm okay," She repeated, her hearing back completely. Danny brushed her bangs away from her forehead just as the nurse that helped Sam before rushed into the room.

"What happened?" The nurse asked sharply, her motherly qualities suddenly gone.

"I think she almost fainted," Tucker said from somewhere behind Danny. Danny was still staring into Sam's face, breathing heavily. Sam tried to smile, but something inside her made her grimace.

The nurse gently nudged Danny out of her way, moving to take his place beside Sam. Sam let her newly released hand fall to the mattress beneath her. The nurse pressed her palm against Sam's forehead, and Sam could feel the heat and clamminess against the nurse's cool hand. The nurse tutted.

"Fever," She muttered to herself. "Are you dizzy, sweetheart?"

Sam nodded, feeling like a child sick in bed. The nurse tutted again. "Of course you are," She pouted. "You poor thing...oh, dear. Dear, dear, dear. Just rest. I'll be back, you need more sleep. Your body is trying to shut down, that's why this is happening. You just rest, sweety. Okay? I'll be right back with a little morphine..."

Sam nodded again as the nurse turned and bustled out. Her eyelids were already drooping at the thought of sleeping again; suddenly the thought of sleeping for three days did not sound as ridiculous as it did before. She turned her head to her left, smiling sleepily at the other three. Danny was twitching, trying to hold himself back from pouncing on her again. His throat was working, adam's apple bobbing, as he tried to swallow. Valerie was on the bed, on her knees, holding Danny's left upper arm tightly. Her eyes were wide and on Sam's face, though she did not appear anywhere near as flustered as Danny. Tucker had his hand on Danny's right shoulder, looking pointedly away from Sam. She shared with him once that she was not partial to people staring at her; he avoided it whenever possible, now. She wanted to hug him for it.

Danny started to edge toward her, but before he could really move, the nurse was back. Sam's view of the others was blocked by the nurse's stomach as she disconnected the tube in Sam's arm and reconnected it to the new bag. Almost instantly Sam could feel a sluggish heaviness spreading through her limbs. The nurse brushed her fingers across Sam's forehead one last time before crossing the room and closing the door behind herself.

Sam leaned into the pillows and closed her eyes, hoping the morphine would take her under quickly. She opened her eyes again when she felt something warm on her left arm, to find that Danny was leaning over her again, gently caressing her skin. She ignored the sudden urge to squirm away from him, choosing to focus on the heaviness instead. She felt his hand on her face.

"Sleep." He ordered gently. Even the little rebel in her head was too exhausted to argue. "Sleep, baby. I'll be right here when you wake up."

The last conscious emotion that gripped her before she slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep was an inexplicable feeling of dread.


	31. Chapter 31

**Let's do this A/N in list form!**

**1. I'm sorry. I had a really long day yesterday and I couldn't get to my computer. I'm here now, though, so don't complain.**

**2. I'm not going to say yes or no to the 8102348173208947 questions I got about DOES SAM NOT LOVE DANNY ANYMORE?  
But I will say that this story will have a happy ending.**

**3. This is building to the next climax. I predict it will be in chapter thirty-two.**

**4. To answer Team04Phantom's question, NO, chapter thirty was NOT easy to write. It took me forever to get that crap together. I'm still frustrated with that chapter, actually. It's one of the shortest ones, and I planned for it to be one of the longest. AOSIDPAOISJD;F.**

**5. Apparently the email saying I updated the last chapter didn't send? Idk what that is, hopefully that doesn't happen again.**

**6. No, I can't feel my legs right now. Yes, I did get three hours of sleep. No, I can't see straight. Yes, I will probably die in a minute.**

**7. DEHYDRATION ISN'T FUN.**

**8. I really just want to have ten bullets.**

**9. I think there's something moving in my kitchen...and...I'm probably about to get eaten...oh...oh, wait. No. That's my dog.**

**10. I don't own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Thirty-One**

**September 9, 2012**

* * *

Awareness returned to Sam slowly. She remained quite still, exploring her surroundings with her other senses while keeping her eyes closed. She heard a quiet, feminine cough escape Valerie's lips. She caught a whiff of Tucker's musky scent. She tensed, trying to feel the thick body heat constantly radiating from Danny; they discovered rather early on that while in human form, he emitted heat like a space heater, a direct contradiction to what he felt, which was constant cold. But the only heat she felt exuded from the blankets wrapped around her body.

She opened one eye slowly, cautiously peering into the room through her lashes. She spotted Tucker sitting on his bed, leaned back on his giant mound of pillows. He was holding his PDA before his face, apparently watching a video. Valerie was curled into his side, her head on his shoulder and her arm around his middle. She, too, was absorbed in the screen of Tucker's PDA. Sam sighed and let her eyes open half-way, catching Valerie's attention.

"Look who's awake!" She sang, nudging Tucker. Tucker's head whipped toward Sam, the lenses flashing brightly over his blinding grin.

"Feelin' better, sleeping beauty?" He chuckled.

Sam rolled her eyes, but smiled. "A lot better, actually," She said honestly. "I feel human again."

"Well, you already look a lot better," Tucker said, locking his PDA and tossing it to the bedside table beside him.

Sam smiled again, before faltering. She glanced to the other side of her bed, and upon finding the space vacant, turned back to Tucker and Valerie. "Where's Danny?" She asked slowly.

Tucker grimaced and glanced at Valerie. "We...uh...we kind of...forced him to go down to the cafeteria and eat. He hasn't eaten since he found out about what was happening. Hasn't really slept, either, but I don't think we could convince him to...you know...I don't think he's gonna sleep 'til after you're outta here."

Sam nodded slowly, feeling slightly relieved. Guilt welled up inside her at the feeling, and Sam closed her eyes at her suddenly throbbing temple. "Don't worry, he'll be back up here soon..." Valerie trailed.

"I'm not worried about him, I was just curious." She said. Valerie shot a glance at Tucker, before smiling. "But, um...where are we gonna live, now?"

Valerie blinked. "Well...I was...um...Tucker said I could stay with him, you know, 'til I find a new place. And I think Danny was planning on you going home with him, too. And I was gonna say, I totally understand if you'd rather just completely start living with Danny. I'm totally fine with that. I don't mind living on my own now."

"No." Sam said over the sudden swell of panic rising in her chest. "I, uh...I'll...I'll look for an apartment with you. I don't...um...I..."

"Are you guys alright?" Tucker asked quietly. Sam turned her face away, fixing her gaze on a cracked ceiling tile above. "You seem a little...unenthusiastic about living with Danny."

"We're fine." Sam said shortly. "I just don't think we're ready for that yet."

"He was all for it." Valerie said. "He was talking about how half of your stuff is in his apartment anyways, so it wouldn't be that big of a change for either of you. He was talking about the first meal you guys are gonna have when he takes you home -"

"Stop!" Sam shouted, flattening her left hand over her ear. "I can't hear this right now!" Panic was rising in her throat, making it difficult to breathe. Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes and down her face, and as she blinked, a few streaked down into her hairline.

"Sam," Tucker said gently. He crawled out of his bed and knelt beside hers, taking her left hand and holding it in his own. "It doesn't have to be permanent. Danny will understand you wanting to live on your own. He's not gonna get offended."

"Yeah, right," She growled sarcastically, her voice thick with tears. "Have you met him?"

Tucker grimaced and opened his mouth to respond, but before the words could reach her, the door to their room was opening and Danny was trotting in. "What's going on?" He asked when he spotted Tucker beside Sam's bed. Tucker turned to answer, allowing Danny to catch a glimpse of Sam's tear-stained face. "Why are you crying? What happened?" He bolted to her side, practically shoving Tucker out of his way to get to Sam.

"She's okay, she just started remembering Harvey and Kwan and the others and...well...you know," Tucker lied smoothly, winking imperceptibly at Sam. She shot him a thankful look as Danny perched on the bed beside her and squeezed her hand.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that," Danny said humbly. "I can't even begin to imagine."

_No, you can't_, Sam thought bitterly. "S'okay," She muttered, desperately trying to avoid eye-contact. She wondered somewhere in the back of her mind why she was acting so flighty with Danny; some small part of her berated her for behaving like a child throwing a tantrum with him. But the little rebel in her head closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief at his inherent possessiveness. As this thought formed, Danny brought his other hand up to grip her wrist. She clenched her jaw and swallowed hard to avoid kicking him directly off the side of her bed.

"Listen, I know you and Val need a place to stay," Danny was stroking her wrist, and she was having a very hard time not yanking her hand out of his grasp. "So, me and Tucker talked, and Val's gonna stay with him, and you're gonna stay with me. Okay?"

"Um..."

"It's perfect. This way, you'll have a familiar place to stay, most of your stuff is already there, and I'll be able to take care of you." Danny looked positively delighted at the idea. The rebel in Sam's head screamed for a rebellion.

"What if I don't need taking care of?" The little rebel nodded and applauded enthusiastically at Sam's words, much the opposite of Danny's reaction. She could physically see the boy deflate before her eyes. She felt guilty for a brief moment, before words began escaping Sam's throat. "What if I want to stay with my parents?"

"I just...I assumed you...would...I thought you would want to stay with me," Danny said slowly, trying and failing to hide his disappointment at her lack of excitement at the idea of living with him.

Sam sighed, the guilt clashing with her rebelliousness. In the middle of all of that her grief over the past few days was threatening to explode, which threw all of her usually balanced and compartmentalized emotions into chaos. "It would only be temporary." She said slowly, closing her eyes so that his facial expressions would not affect her decisions. "I would be looking for my own apartment the entire time. And you would only help me if I ask for it."

"Right, when you need it." Danny said, the entire mattress shaking for how hard he was nodding.

Sam's eyes flew open, her face set in a stern glare. "No, not when I 'need it,' when I _ask_ for it." She said sharply. He blinked several times. "I only want your help if I _ask_ for it. No other circumstances. Okay?"

He glanced down at the place where their hands connected before nodding slowly. "Okay, only when you ask for it." He murmured, caressing her knuckles with the pad of his thumb. Sam shivered in discomfort, drawing Danny's gaze up to her face. She met his eyes for only a moment, before looking away. His caressing motion stopped, and after another endless moment, he dropped her hand completely.

Sam closed her eyes and sighed as Danny moved off the bed to take the seat on Sam's right side. She was confused at the wide array of emotions waging war in her head; part of her wanted to grab Danny, shove him into the bed and let him do whatever he wanted with her, while another wanted to get as far away as possible from him and never look back.

_Am I still even in love with Danny?_ She asked herself seriously, keeping her eyes firmly closed and her mouth pulled into a thin line. She gulped when the answer was not immediately obvious.

* * *

Several hours later, after a quiet conversation and a low buzz of the television, the female nurse that helped Sam before came in, smiling widely. She announced that Tucker and Valerie were free to go home, and after they finished up a little bit of paperwork, Sam was free to go as well. Tucker and Valerie offered to stay and wait with Sam. Sam was sorely tempted to say yes; Tucker was giving her a look that told her he knew exactly what was going on, and that he also knew being alone with Danny may not be the best thing for their relationship, but Sam waved him away. She said he had been there for her enough, it was time for him to take a break. She ignored the way Danny shifted slightly in his chair. His jealousy was tangible to her.

So Tucker and Valerie left, with promises to call Sam later, and Sam was alone with Danny for the first time since the night he left for his trip. The tension between them was back, much as it was that night, but this time, everything was different. Before, it was an exciting kind of tension; the kind that always rose up before she ended up spending the night with him. Now, it was stark, cold, and unnerving. Sam shifted her legs slightly, trying to rid the rising burn in her muscles to run.

"I need a shower," She muttered to herself. Danny perked up at her voice.

"First thing when we get home." He nodded, clasping his hands over his legs and smiling.

"Is there a bottle of my shampoo at your apartment?" Sam asked, partly because she genuinely could not remember, but mostly because she wanted to disassociate herself from him. 'Home' implied she wanted to live there, which could not be further from the truth in that moment.

Danny glanced down at his hands, the significance of the wording of her question not lost on him. "I think so. I'm not sure. I can always buy some on the way ho- ...there."

Sam looked away, practically dissolving beneath the tidal wave of guilt that suddenly seized her. "It's okay. I'm not picky right now. I'll use some of yours if mine is gone. Are you okay with that?"

Danny nodded, only glancing up from his hands for a moment. Her guilt intensified at the realization that she hurt his feelings. But as she was about to apologize, the rebel in her head growled. So Sam snapped her mouth shut and closed her eyes. They did not speak again until the nurse returned, jovially announcing that as soon as the IV was removed from Sam's arm, she was free to go home.

Sam noticed that Danny carefully avoided touching her as they walked down the hospital hallway. He was uncomfortably close, his hand hovering over the small of her back, but Sam knew he was only doing this in case she collapsed. She rolled her eyes, her annoyance with him officially drowning her guilt. She exhaled noisily through her nose a few times, alerting Danny to the fact that she was annoyed, but he appeared oblivious. Sam had to avoid stomping her foot like a two-year-old not getting her way.

_If this is what living with him is gonna be like_, she thought as they stepped into an empty elevator, _I'll just live with my parents. I'd rather be homeless that live in all of this._

She desperately tried to ignore the little voice in her head that whispered that it was her own fault.

* * *

**'Bout to read all y'all's minds right now:**

**ERMAHGERD SERMERNDDERNNYGERNNA BRERKERP!**

**Um...I'm being realistic, here. Sam's not gonna go from Danny Phantom's girlfriend to SUPERWOMAN to Danny Phantom's girlfriend no sweat. Uh, no. I don't think so.**

**Cheeeeeeeel. Let her work it out. K?**

**K.**

**- Tori**


	32. Chapter 32

**Taking a moment to be serious here. My heart goes out to those affected by 9/11. We will never forget.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

**September 11, 2012**

* * *

Danny was forced to touch her before they even made it into his car. They were just barely out of the front doors of the hospital - just long enough for Sam to notice that the storm system finally passed and the moon and stars were shining brightly - before they were surrounded by paparazzi. The noise was so terrifyingly loud that for a moment Sam thought she was under attack again, that somehow the aliens survived and were bearing down on her again, but she quickly realized that it was nothing more than paparazzi shoving cameras, microphones, spotlights, and questions in her face. She felt Danny's hands grip her waist and he began to steer her through the crowd. She ignored the paparazzi, having grown accustomed to their prying questions into her and Danny's personal lives, but she stopped short when one of their questions finally reached her.

"How does it feel?" The beefy, sweaty man from a few days earlier, the one that mentioned Danny having an affair with Ember, was standing in their path. Danny growled, deep and low in his chest, as he began to inch forward, pushing Sam along with him.

"How does what feel?" Sam asked warily, unsure if she would be able to handle any questions about herself and Danny at the moment.

"How does it feel to know that you singlehandedly saved the world from Vlad?" The microphone inches from her lips suddenly faded in the background as the shock of what he said sunk in. Sam blinked rapidly, ignoring Danny's impatient nudges.

"It wasn't singlehandedly," Sam said finally, glancing at the camera hovering over the reporter's left shoulder. "It was a team effort. We all worked together to get rid of him."

"We've heard reports from others that were in the shield at the time that you were the one that kept everyone together." The reporter countered, brandishing the microphone to catch any reaction she would have. "They've said that you are the only reason they held it together long enough to beat him. How does it feel to know that you're the reason so many innocent lives were saved?"

Sam smiled. "Pretty damn good." She said, earning several chuckles from the paparazzi.

"If you'll excuse us, Sam needs to get home and rest," Danny said politely from behind her. Sam allowed him to buffer her down the street away from the paparazzi, who suddenly began working on live breaking news stories for their respective stations. "My car's just over there," Danny murmured in Sam's ear, pointing to the truck parked on the opposite side of the street.

Danny opened her car door for her and waited until she was settled with the seat belt on before closing it behind her. He crossed around the front of the car to the driver's side in a flash, sliding in and slamming his door before Sam could even blink. The engine roared to life beneath her, Danny threw the car in drive, and they were off down the street toward his apartment. "Your car is still at City Hall." He said, keeping his gaze locked firmly on the road. "We can go pick it up tomorrow."

Sam leaned her head against the window and nodded. "Sounds good." She murmured. She saw Danny glance at her from the corner of her eye, but she ignored him. She was still not in the mood to talk to him.

"Hey," He said softly. They were at a red light, giving Danny the opportunity to turn completely toward her. She sat up straight and forced herself to meet his gaze, which was almost as smoldering as it was the night before he left. "I know you need space. I get it. I'll give you all the space you need. But, I mean, come on. You've gotta cut me a little slack here. I thought you were _dead_ for a while there. I'm sorry if I seem a little too...clingy, I guess, but I just...I need that reassurance that you're really okay. You know?"

Guilt boiled up inside of her like lava, burning at her insides. "I understand." She said hoarsely. She reached across the center console and took his hand, squeezing his fingers briefly, before pulling away. "It's like you said...I guess I just need a little space right now."

A muscle was jumping sporadically in his jaw, but he nodded. "I can give you that." He said, more to himself than to Sam. She smiled weakly and leaned back in the seat as the light changed to green and Danny took off again.

He was using every ounce of his self-control not to reach out and help her, she decided, as she slid out of the truck and trudged up the stairs to his apartment. He was still hovering, a pained expression on his face, but he was not touching her. Sam stepped out of his way as he opened the front door to his apartment, stepping inside the darkened place and turning off the lights.

"Oh, God," He choked as Sam followed him inside. The air was rancid, like something curled up and died beneath his furniture. "What the hell _is_ that?"

Sam brought her left arm up over her nose and mouth. "Valerie was sick before we left that morning." Sam mumbled into her arm. "I didn't clean it up because I thought we'd be right back..."

"It's okay," He coughed, seizing the trashcan still beside the couch and darting toward the door. "I'll be right back, okay?"

Sam nodded as he phased through the door. The air was still putrid, though not as bad now that the source was removed. Sam rushed to the kitchen, digging through the cabinets for the box of matches she knew Danny constantly kept on-hand. She found them in the third cabinet she opened and ran back into the living room with them in her hand. Danny had several scented candles laying around, for nights when he wanted to be romantic with her, and Sam realized that she never quite appreciated them as much as she did in that moment. She chuckled as she approached the first one on the table beside Danny's couch.

She stopped short, furrowing her brow. She glanced from the box in her left hand to the candle. She only had one good hand. She needed both to light the match. Huffing in frustration, she tossed the box onto the table and eased it open with her left hand. She dug around a bit until her fingers caught one tiny stick of wood, pulling it out in triumph.

_Now comes the tricky part,_ she thought. She nibbled her lip and cocked her head to the side, wondering how she was going to go about solving the problem before her. Part of her wondered why she could not just wait until Danny returned to ask him to light the candle, but the rebel in her head was determined to light the ocean breeze scented object without his help.

She angled herself down at an awkward angle, pinning the box between her right arm and the table. Pain began throbbing dully in her shoulder at the movement, but Sam grit her teeth and ignored it. She positioned the match at the end of the lighting strip and dragged it out quickly.

Nothing happened.

Frustrated, Sam tried again. Still, nothing happened. Tears were beginning to sting at her eyes at the realization that she could not even light a simple match, but she kept trying. Once or twice, it sparked, but did not catch. She nearly screamed.

She felt the cool breeze right before Danny's hands were sliding around her, taking the match and the box from her grasp. "I'll do it," He murmured softly.

"No." Sam practically shouted, yanking the objects away from him. "I can do it."

"Sam, come on, it's a stupid match. Just let me light it for you."

Sam whirled around, her eyes blazing. "I'm more than capable of lighting a match. I took out an entire race of blood-thirsty aliens _and_ your arch enemy, something _you_ failed to do for eight years. I think I can light a damn match by myself."

Danny stepped back, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Is that what all that was about? You proving to the world that you're stronger than me?"

"No!" Sam dropped the match and the matchbox, dropping into a defensive pose.

"Really? Because that's what you made it sound like!" He was yelling now, Sam realized. The rebel in her head was clapping in delight, more than ready to fight.

"You know that's not what I meant." She said, her voice trembling. "I was just trying to say that I'm capable of lighting a match."

"I'm well aware of that fact. I'm just trying to help you. You don't have to do everything by yourself." His tone was calmer now, his eyes not as bright. Anger flared up inside her.

"You're such a hypocrite! You never let me and Tucker help you ghost fight when we were in high school, at least not a lot! You were trying to get me to sit that whole thing out the entire time you had contact with us! Don't even pretend like you weren't begging Tucker and Dash and Jazz and whoever else to tie me down to that cot and lock me in the basement!" He was angry again, she realized with a rush of perverse pleasure. "You're just jealous that I was the one fighting while you were the one sitting on the sidelines for once!"

"Jealous?" He screeched. "You think I was _jealous_ that you were putting your life in danger while I was helpless to protect you? Do you know me at all?"

"I'm starting to think that I don't." She muttered. She wished more than anything that she could cross her arms and storm out, but she knew she had no where to go and the cast on her right arm made it impossible to cross them.

Danny opened his mouth to retort, before snapping it shut. He closed his eyes and shook his head. Sam watched distantly as he turned on his heel toward his bedroom and slammed the door shut, effectively separating them with the wall between his bedroom and his living room. At the sound of the door slamming, Sam's anger and frustration immediately rushed out of her, leaving her feeling empty and broken. She collapsed onto the couch, desperately trying not to succumb to tears. She winced, a few tears escaping, as Danny turned his music on in his room loud enough for the people on the other end of the apartment complex to hear. She sniffled pathetically.

_No_, a sudden voice rang in her mind. _It can't end like this. Remember all the good things that you two have done together? All of the positive things you two have made? And you're willing to throw it all away over your stupid independence?_

_Independence isn't stupid_, the rebel in her head countered. _Being owned by someone isn't a healthy relationship_.

_He isn't trying to own you_, the soft voice said. _He loves you and just wants to make sure you're alright_.

_He doesn't have to do everything for me, though._

_Your right arm is in a cast. There's a hole in your shoulder. He's trying to make sure you don't hurt yourself anymore._

Sam glanced at his closed bedroom door, feeling a sudden conviction and urge to apologize for her atrocious behavior. She stood and shuffled toward the door, head hanging in shame, and knocked softly. She waited a few minutes, and when his face did not appear in the space between the door and the wall, she knocked again. He still did not respond.

She took the knob in her hand and twisted slowly, to find that the door was locked. Her heart sank in her chest. She knocked again. "Danny?" She called softly. The music was far too loud for her to hear if he was listening or not. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I was...I was wrong. I shouldn't have acted that way. You don't deserve to be treated the way I treated you. I'm sorry."

There was no response. "Danny?" She pressed her ear to the door. Distantly, over the pulsing beat of the music, Sam heard the faintest sound of water hitting tile.

Danny was taking a shower.

She jerked her head back, tears welling in her eyes. It was his way of dismissing her, of letting her know that when he got out, she should be gone. She turned and crossed the apartment quickly, wiping her eyes furiously with her left hand. She glanced back one last time, watching his bedroom door for a moment, before opening the front door of his apartment and stepping out into the night.

Sam walked down the sidewalk slowly, lost in thought. She refused to let the tears escape now that she was in public; no one could know that she was crying. They would start to speculate, she was sure. She could see the headlines now: _Danny Phantom kicks world hero Sam Manson out! Sam Manson strikes out on her own after saving the world!_ No, it would be terrible. The questions she would get...she shivered. She was not ready for that now.

So she hid in the shadows as she walked, avoiding eye-contact with her fellow joyous townspeople. They were still celebrating their safety out in the streets; Sam swore she saw fireworks going off on the other side of town. She rolled her eyes, feeling a bit like her old self with her annoyance.

She turned down an alley that would lead her to her parents' home, ignoring the feeling of being followed. She was being paranoid, she was sure. Amity Park was finally safe, even if she was completely miserable because of it. No one was following her.

She realized she was wrong when a thick arm planted her into the side of one of the buildings, pushing her neck and shoulders into the brick and turning her face to the side so that her right cheek was rubbing uncomfortably against the bricks. Terror seized her so harshly that she was paralyzed, her left hand planted firmly against the bricks, her right arm pinned between her stomach and the wall. Hot breath was on her neck and the side of her face, and Sam closed her eyes as gloved fingers began to caress her bruised cheekbones.

"Be still and quiet and this will be over before you know it." A silky voice hissed. Sam swallowed the lump in her throat.

"_Vlad?_" She whispered, a scream threatening to explode in her chest.

A quiet laugh. "You didn't think killing me would be _that_ easy, did you? As easy as me killing you, like I'm about to do?"

* * *

**How's that for a cliffhanger?**

**- Tori**


	33. Chapter 33

**HOLY FREAKING CRAP THIS IS LIKE THE BEST DAY EVER**

**MY FRIEND WHO IS A PUBLISHED AUTHOR (Cheryl Ammeter, she wrote _Ivey and the Airship,_ check her out) SHOWED SOME OF MY WORK TO HER EDITOR AND NOW HER EDITOR WANTS TO MEET ME**

**I JUST**

**I CAN'T**

**I MEAN**

**HOLY CHRIST IN A HANDBASKET**

**AN EDITOR**

**A REAL EDITOR**

**WANTS TO MEET ME**

_**ME**_

**I CAN'T EVEN**

**;ALSDHG;AOKSDJ;ALKJSHDG;ASJDF;**

**H'okay. Coming back to reality now...**

**There is a character death in this chapter but I'm so not putting it down at the bottom because...you should know who it is. For shame if you don't.**

**Another implied lemon in this chapter. I want to keep this T, so no dirty details, but...yeah. Lots and lots of nauseating fluff, but no super lemons. Just a little warning.**

**Also I'm updating twice today mostly because of the death threats I got from the last chapter. Heh. Yeah.**

**I think I've only got one chapter left on this fic, guys. Sad day. Well, sad for me. I've seriously enjoyed writing this. You guys made it better, with how hard you got into it. To everyone who reviewed, you guys are awesome. You make me want to write.**

**I'll save all my sappy thank-you's for the very end. I'll just let you guys read, for now.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

**September 11, 2012**

* * *

Sam nearly blacked out under the pressure of terror in her heart. She closed her eyes as Vlad's hands began scraping down her body, pulling randomly at her clothes. She was resigned to the fact that he would be violating her, but her determination to survive assured her that she would not be dying in that alley. She would have to wait until the perfect moment to strike, and it would have to be hard. She would not last in a prolonged struggle, not in her current physical state.

Despite the mantra reverberating in her mind that she would not die, she would not die, she would not die, her muscles seemed to be working against themselves to escape Vlad's grasp. "Danny!" She gasped. The word escaped her lips without her consent, but one it was out, it was the only coherent thought she could form.

Vlad's hand paused as he snickered. "Go, ahead, call his name." He taunted, his hand dipping dangerously low on her hip. "Beg for mercy. That will make this much more enjoyable."

"You're sick," She choked. "You're gonna die."

"Not before you do." He hissed as he ripped at the hem of her skirt. The fabric tore up her left thigh and Sam squeaked in terror.

But before anything else happened, a very strong, freezing gust of wind ripped past her. The wind was so strong that it blew her off her feet, sending her crashing unceremonially to the ground. She winced when she landed on her right arm, sending a jolt of pain through her body. Vlad was no longer on top of her. She blinked in confusion, scrambling backwards until her shoulders hit the wall. She pushed her hair out of her face quickly, desperately searching the shadows for the vague outline of Vlad.

Sam spotted a huddled mass several feet deeper into the alley, and another towering over the first. She shook her head roughly. The two figures were still there, though the second was now hunched over the first. She heard a low, masculine whisper growling in the darkness, and squinted in an effort to hear better.

"..._told_ you, you son of a bitch, that I was gonna _rip you to pieces_. Looks like it's my lucky night." Her heart leapt into her throat when she realized her savior was none other than Danny. He was knelt beside Vlad, one hand tight around Vlad's throat, the other cocked back in a fist over his shoulder. He glanced over at Sam, his eyes a burning acid green despite him being in his human form. "Are you okay?" She nodded, unable to control the trembling in her limbs. He pressed his lips together in a hard line, but seemed satisfied. He turned his attention back to Vlad. Vlad was choking on Danny's hands, wheezily begging for mercy. Danny sneered.

In one swift, fluid motion, Danny swung his other hand down to Vlad's neck and yanked his hands in opposite directions. Vlad released a terrifying scream of pain as Danny ripped his human body away from his ghost form. Sam blinked in shock. She did not even know it was possible for someone to do that to a halfa with their bare hands. Danny threw Vlad Masters further down the alley, smirking when his body hit the wall and collapsed to the ground with a dull thud. He pinned Plasmius to the wall and glanced at Sam. "Look away." He ordered.

And she looked away. She closed her eyes against blood-curdling screams that ripped through the night air like a knife through a wet paper towel. The screams cut off with a strange, sickening ripping noise, followed quickly by a dull thud. She heard Danny grunt, a dull pop from a lid leaving a bottle, and the familiar suctioning sounds of the Fenton Thermos slurping up a captive. Cautiously, she opened one eye and turned back toward Danny.

Green ectoplasm drenched the side of the building she was hunched against and the ground beneath the place Danny had Plasmius pinned. Danny was breathing heavily, his back turned to Sam, his eyes on Masters. Masters was more pale than Sam had ever seen him, his trembling hands feebly covering his face. Danny sauntered toward the man slowly, his face completely impassive to Vlad's mask of terror. Danny stopped and knelt beside the man, their faces just inches apart. Danny seized him by the collar of his suit and shook him roughly, before growling. "If you ever come near this town again, I will rip you apart the same way I just ripped your ghost half apart. And if you ever touch _her_ again," he pointed in Sam's general direction without turning to look at her, "I'll burn the pieces, put the ashes in a jar, and throw the jar off the top of Mount Everest. Do you understand me, Masters?"

Vlad was trembling so severely he could scarcely nod his understanding. "Y-yes." He gasped.

"Apologize to her." Danny growled. Vlad peered around Danny's muscled arm at Sam, who was still huddled on the ground.

"I-I'm sor-ry," He hiccupped, glancing up at Danny. "P-Please, have m-m-mercy..."

"You don't deserve it." Danny snarled. "You deserve to die, you worthless piece of _shit_. You can just count yourself lucky you can still _walk_ after everything you've done and what I caught you trying to do." Danny whipped a pair of Fenton Handcuffs out of his back pocket and snapped one around Vlad's wrist. He dragged him toward the dumpster on the opposite wall from Sam and hooked the other cuff around the leg of the giant metal can. "Someone will find you, eventually. Or the rats will. Either way, I don't care." Danny turned away from Vlad, his face stony. He knelt beside Sam, ignoring Vlad's weak pleas. Wordlessly, he offered his arms to her, but the look on his face told her that she could say no. She could get up and walk away and the relationship between them would be over. She would finally have the independence she so fiercely craved.

The thought of leaving him there in that alley with Vlad terrified her more than anything else she had experienced in the last week. The independence she lusted after suddenly felt cold and dark and lonely. Sprawled out there on the ground in that alley, Sam realized that she could be with Danny and still be Sam. Being with Danny was merely an enhancement of who she was as a person. Being strong did not mean being alone.

So she nearly leapt into his arms. He lifted her easily, carrying her bridal style to the entrance of the alley without so much as a backwards glance at Vlad. He flashed to Phantom and kicked off, his arms tightening around Sam as she crushed her face into his shoulder. Her right arm rested lightly on her belly, her shoulder still throbbing in irritation, while her left was wrapped tightly around Danny's neck. He glanced down into her face repeatedly, his gaze growing softer and softer as they put more distance between themselves and Vlad. Their connection was strained and frayed, but Sam could feel the hope of rebuilding it as they neared Danny's apartment.

Apparently he left in such a rush to chase after her that he did not set the ghost shield embedded in the walls of his apartment; they simply phased through, which momentarily distracted Sam from memorizing Danny's face and neck. He landed lightly in the living room, flashing to Fenton without bothering to set Sam down on her feet. He carried her into his bedroom, lowering her gently onto his bed and trotting toward his bathroom. Sam watched him leave, staring at the empty doorway as the shower started. Danny came back into view, his eyes on her face. The look he gave her spoke volumes.

He knelt before her and took the hem of her shirt in both of his hands. He lifted it slowly, his eyes never leaving hers, up and over her head. He maneuvered it around the cast, tossing it behind him when she was free. She never put a bra on when leaving the hospital, not wanting to bother with the cast, so her upper body was completely exposed to him. She felt only the briefest moment of insecurity, but he was practically worshiping her with his eyes. Suddenly she did not feel so insecure.

His hands worked over her hips gently, unbuttoning her torn skirt and tugging it gently down her legs. He had undressed her before, but this time was different; before, it was always fast, furious, full of lust and passion. Now, he worked slowly, with deliberance. She did not get even the slightest inkling that he was trying to pull a move on her. She let him help her undress, all the way down to her underwear. He stood and offered her his hand, which she gladly accepted.

The tile of the bathroom was freezing beneath her bare feet. Goosebumps raced down her skin as Danny tested the shower water with his fingers, nodding in approval and stepping back to let her test it. The water was warm, in stark contrast to the tile floor, which sent another stampede of goosebumps over her body. She stepped in slowly, closing her eyes as the steam rose up around her. The water felt amazing, running down her skin and loosening muscles she did not even realize were cramped. Her hair was soaked quickly, sticking to her face and neck and sending rivers of water down her back. She felt Danny step in beside her, and her eyes flew open to find him fully clothed, minus his socks and shoes.

"You're gonna get wet," She said wearily.

"I don't care." He shrugged. "Turn around."

She did as he said, closing her eyes when she heard the shampoo bottle pop open. The familiar scent of her strawberry shampoo filled her nostrils, sending a shiver of delight down her spine. She felt his hands on her head, his fingers working the shampoo into her scalp, and nearly swooned at the feeling. Even the rebel in her head was enjoying the ministrations. He chuckled when her head tilted to follow his hands. "Good?"

"Very," She breathed. His fingers were working the shampoo in two different spots: one on top of her head, the other just behind her left ear. It was a heavenly feeling. She whined a little when he pulled away, cleaning the excess shampoo off his hands in the stream of the water to her left. From the corner of her eye, she saw him snatch a small cloth and a bar of soap from a ledge beneath the shower head. He dampened the cloth and rubbed the bar of soap in the folds vigorously, effectively covering the cloth in suds. She closed her eyes again when the cloth touched her left shoulder.

She let him bathe her in silence, the significance of this act not lost on either of them. She was letting him see her vulnerable, trusting herself with him, and he was not disappointing her at all. He worked around her scrapes and bruises, not disturbing any of them even slightly, before easing her back into the stream of water. Suds ran down her legs and swirled around the drain between her feet. She stood there, motionless, for about sixty seconds, before Danny was twisting the knobs and shutting the water off. She opened her eyes and saw him rummaging through a cabinet beside the sink for a towel. He turned and held the largest, fluffiest towel he owned, which happened to be black. Sam gave him a soft, half-lidded smile.

Danny carefully aided her in stepping out of the shower, wrapping the massive towel around her thin frame. It was so long, even width-wise, that when she wrapped it around her shoulders it still dragged along the ground. It was more of a blanket than a towel, which was just as well to Sam at the moment. A thick, groggy heaviness was setting in on her, making her feel weak and her limbs feel stiff, so she staggered a little when Danny lead her to a chair in his room. She closed her eyes as he pushed the chair around to his mirror, snatching a brush up as he went. He positioned her before the mirror so she could see what he was doing and began tugging at her tangled locks as gently as he could. After some time, her hair was finally untangled, and Danny had a triumphant little grin on his face. Sam chuckled at him.

He went back into his bathroom and returned just seconds later with a hairdryer in his hands. Sam cocked an eyebrow in question, but he shook his head. So she closed her eyes and allowed him to blow her hair dry.

He kept the stream of hot air on her head until her hair hung straight, soft, and smooth. He brushed through it once more, before stepping around to the front of her chair and offering her his hand again. She took it and let him pull her to her feet and lead her back to his bed. She perched on the edge as he trotted quickly to his chest of drawers, pulling her drawer open and extracting a pair of cotton shorts and - thankfully - a pair of underwear. He closed her drawer and yanked one of his open, digging until he revealed a familiar red-and-white t-shirt. His triumphant grin was back, more pronounced than before, as he offered the clothes to her.

She stood shakily, her arm shooting out to grab on to Danny's shoulder as gravity threatened to pull her to the ground. He steadied her, waiting until she stood up straight to offer the clothes to her. She let the towel drop as she reached for the shorts.

She was able to pull the shorts and her underwear on without any major problems, but she hesitated when he offered her his shirt. Not because of who owned the shirt, no; in fact, the shirt he offered her was her favorite shirt that he owned. She stole it fairly often, even before they started dating. The hesitation was more because she was concerned for her casted arm and shoulder.

He seemed to understand immediately. He slipped the right sleeve over her cast, working it up to her armpit, before lifting the rest of the shirt up and allowing her to squirm inside. The fabric was soothing against her skin, and for the first time Sam could remember, she felt really, truly at home in his apartment.

They stood quite still for a moment, the realization hitting Sam like a ton of bricks. Suddenly it did not matter that her apartment was a pile of smoldering ashes or that Vlad was half-dead in an alley or that her parents apparently had no idea what happened to their daughter or almost happened to their city. The only thing that mattered was that she was with Danny and Danny was with her. Regardless of past, present, or future, her home was the man standing before her.

Danny seemed to be waiting for her to snap out of her stupor. He caught her around her waist easily when she launched herself at him, responding eagerly when her lips crashed into his. It was different than the kiss they shared in the hospital; both were passionate, but now, there was no chance of being interrupted by anyone. Danny lifted her up, grunting into her mouth when her legs coiled around his waist, before walking both of them toward the bed. He lowered her to the mattress slowly, his lips never leaving hers, before hauling her further up the bed. Sam felt her head touching the pillows, but she was too lost in Danny to understand the feeling.

He was hovering over her, one hand planted on the mattress beside her head while the other was working her shorts over her hips. Subconsciously he began lowering himself onto her, before he touched the cast on her arm. He pulled away immediately, his eyes flashing in concern. "Did I hurt you?" He whispered.

Truthfully, it was a little painful, but Sam was beyond caring at that point. "No," She lied, yanking him back down. He pulled away just long enough to rip his shirt off before attacking her mouth with his tongue again. Her shorts were now completely off, lost somewhere in the folds of the blankets at their feet. Her left hand was everywhere, running down his back, plunging into his hair, exploring the crevices of his abs. She realized his shorts and boxers were no longer on his body, and briefly she wondered when he took them off, but the thought was gone as soon as it came; he was yanking her underwear down as well.

He pulled away suddenly, his eyes finding hers in the darkness. "I almost forgot," He muttered. He sat up, the blankets falling away from their exposed body as he searched for his shorts. Sam propped herself up on her left shoulder, trying not to huff in impatience. She was ready to _feel_ him again, to rebuild and solidify the relationship between them that Vlad nearly destroyed. But Danny was digging through his pockets desperately, alerting her that whatever he remembered was important, and that she should remain silent.

He pulled a familiar silver chain out of the pocket of his shorts and let it dangle before her as he tossed the garment to the floor. The key caught the dim light of the bathroom as it twisted on the chain, and Sam felt an alarming ache in her chest at the sight. "I meant to give it to you when we got here, but..."

"It's okay," She was sitting up now, reaching for the chain. Danny pulled it back toward him before her fingers could catch the cool metal, a coy smile on his face.

"I don't think so," He shook his head. "Lift your hair."

She did as he said, her eyes never leaving his as he leaned toward her and looped the chain around her neck. He fumbled with the clasp for a moment, but eventually the necklace fell against her skin and his hands cupped her face. "I love you." He said humbly, touching his forehead to hers.

"I love you, too," she whispered, closing her eyes as he laugh of delight sent warm air over her face and neck. She opened them again, only briefly, when his lips met hers in a soft, chaste kiss that quickly turned demanding and passionate. And when they finally found each other in the night with soft cries of fulfillment and love, the cool metal of her necklace was a welcome relief to her burning skin.

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**Thanks again for all of y'all's support. It means the world to me.**

**A FREAKING REAL-LIFE EDITOR H'OGOD**

**- Tori**


	34. Chapter 34

**This is the last chapter I'm going to post on this story. I've had a few requests to write a few things in Danny's point of view, which I'm thinking about doing. But it would be in a different story all together.**

**Okay. My long list of thank-you's. Holy crap.**

_**Team04Phantom**_** - not only have you been reviewing since day one of this fic, you're the one that came up with using _Eyes Open_ as Sam's song. Fantastic work, my friend. Everyone, a round of applause for Team04Phantom!**

**To everyone else who dropped a review, whether it was just one or one for each chapter, I send you my most sincere thank-you. You guys have no idea how empowering reviews can be to an author. I have to say, seeing you guys get so into this and beg for more is the main reason I was able to update twice in one day for a lot of these chapters.**

**To those who favorited this fic/me as a writer, thank you for contributing to my swelling ego (I'm completely kidding, guys, come on). Seriously, though, I'm really glad you guys enjoyed this, and I really hope this chapter makes up for all the stress from the earlier chapters.**

**I think some artwork inspired by this fic might be in the works. I'm not sure. I'll update the cover photo if something like that comes up, but for now, check out that badass picture of Sam with a gun. She'll kill you dead, you know.**

**To those of you asking questions about the editor or about my personal writing style, I'll probably respond to each of you individually. I don't want to clutter this A/N up too much. Hehe.**

**Alright. This is it. Chapter 34, AKA Epilogue. My name is not Butch, it's Tori, therefore I do not own Danny Phantom. Sadly.**

**But hopefully I will own a little somethin-somethin in the next year or so. WE SHALL SEE.**

**Until then, here lies the final chapter of my longest, epic-est fic yet, _They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes._**

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**They Had Lights Inside Their Eyes**

**Epilogue**

**September 12, 2012**

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A raven-haired couple slid into the cab of a truck, slamming the doors shut behind themselves. They were not speaking; the silence between them was icy, in stark contrast to the warm, sunny day surrounding them. The male, sitting in the driver's seat, turned the keys in the ignition and revved the engine. The female shot him a single disparaging look before rolling her eyes and turning her gaze to her window.

Their silence stretched on for one endless minute before the male finally lost his nerve. "I don't understand why you're mad at me." He muttered, keeping his eyes on the road.

The female scoffed. "Yeah, right. You don't know. _Psh_. Good one."

irritation pulled the corner of his mouth down, but his eyes were dancing. "It wasn't my fault."

"You're the one that wouldn't let me leave." She grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly. The ghost of an ache throbbed in her shoulder, but she ignored it. It was all but non-existant to her now. "We could have been out of there hours ago, but _no_, _you_ wanted to _stay_..."

The corners of his mouth were now twitching as he fought a smile. "I'm not the one that promised your parents you would have lunch with them when they got back in town..." He teased.

Sam whipped her head toward him, eyes blazing. "I did that to get her off the phone." She hissed. "I didn't realize we would be going to a friggin' ball when I said we could do lunch today."

Danny laughed. "It was _just_ a luncheon, but that's beside the point. Really, I should be mad at you, since you're the one that signed me up for it." He teased. Sam opened her mouth to retort, but he cut her off. "Don't even talk to me. I'm so mad at you right now."

"That is...that's so not...I can't...you make no sense!" She spluttered. "One second you never want to leave and the next you're pissed that I even made you go?"

He glanced at her, eyes twinkling in mirth. Sam growled and turned in her seat, staring stonily out of the windshield. Danny poked her side, laughing when she jumped and squeaked. "Aw, you're cute when you're mad." He sang.

"I wonder if I'm cute when I'm murdering a half-ghost," She muttered, splaying her fingers across her exposed side in an effort to protect herself from Danny's wandering hand. "I can't _wait_ to find out."

"Scary goth!" He teased, shaking his head and chuckling as he pulled his truck into the parking lot of a Starbucks. He whipped the car around to the side of the building, sliding into the drive-through line. They were silent again, save Danny's occasional snickers, until they reached the menu board. Danny rolled his window down and gazed at the menu, furrowing his brow in concentration mostly because he knew that face was the reason Sam even began liking him as more than a friend in the first place. He heard her sigh in impatience behind him and grinned.

"Thank you for choosing Starbucks, what can I get you today?" A nasally voice asked from the speaker mounted beside the car.

"Hi! Can I get two iced teas, please?" He asked politely. Sam released a strange, strangled growl, and Danny looked around at the noise.

"I don't want your pity tea." She spat. Danny closed his eyes and laughed, turning back to the speaker.

"Actually, can I make one of those a green tea instead? My girlfriend is cranky." Sam slapped his upper arm, her face a mask of mock offence. Danny turned back to her, a wide grin on his face. "What? You are!"

"Because of _you_!" She shouted, though she knew her eyes were sparkling with amusement.

"O-kay, that's gonna be eight seventy-nine at the first window. Thank you!" The Starbucks employee laughed audibly, causing Sam to sink back in her seat with a blush and Danny to chortle as he pulled the truck around to the first window.

The employee was a young blonde, Sam realized with dismay. She looked familiar, like perhaps she once worked for Tucker back at the beginning of his career as mayor. Her blue eyes widened upon recognizing Danny and Sam, and she practically crawled out of the window to shake their hands. "I'm such a huge fan of both of y'all, y'all are _amazing_!" Her Texas twang was achingly familiar; Sam nibbled her bottom lip as she tried to place the girl's face.

"Have we met before?" Sam asked slowly as Danny handed the employee the money.

"No, but I was in a commercial once! A few years ago! For Snuggies!" The blonde gushed. Sam snapped her fingers, finally recognizing the girl.

"Yes! That's it! Thank you, that was seriously bothering me!" Danny cocked an eyebrow at Sam, which she ignored. "That's awesome!"

"Thank you, thank you!" The blonde squealed. "Oh, gosh! Okay, okay, your drinks are at the next window. It's been such an honor meeting y'all!"

Danny pulled forward a few feet, effectively putting the blonde out of earshot. "A Snuggie commercial?" He quipped, glancing back at the window through his rear-view. "You recognized an actress from a _Snuggie commercial_?"

"I'm still mad at you." Sam informed him loftily, turning her chin up and away from the driver's side. Danny dissolved into laughter again, poking her side playfully and dodging her attempts to swat his hands away. "Just get the stupid drinks!" She screeched as yet another star-struck Starbucks employee appeared in the window with two cups.

Once their drinks were safely in the car, one in a cup holder and one held closely to Sam's face, Danny pulled back onto the road in the opposite direction from his apartment. Sam stared out the window, blinking in confusion, but thinking better than to ask. She knew Danny was just trying to get her to ask so that he could tease her for talking to him again, so she kept her lips firmly planted on the rim of her cup. They drove north for a while, right out of the city limits of Amity Park.

_How long is he gonna keep this up?_ She wondered as they passed into Camden county, which was situated north east of Amity Park. It was a quiet, rural community. Most citizens who lived in Camden commuted to Amity for work, as it was so close and the jobs were so plentiful. Sam repressed a longing sigh as a rolling field opened up on her side of the car. She always nursed a secret desire to live in Camden, but she never shared this with anyone. Not even Danny.

Danny pulled onto a side road and began cruising, a field to their left, a forest of trees to their right. Finally, curiosity got the better of Sam. "Where are we going?" She murmured, her eyes on the shadows of the forest.

He glanced at her, grinning in triumph. "I wanna show you something." He said cryptically. Sam leaned back, clutching her green tea a little closer in relief that they were actually doing something out there, rather than Danny just egging her into speaking. They road on in comfortable silence, Danny finding Sam's left hand and holding it over the center console.

A large, two-story house loomed into view on Danny's side. Sam's eyes widened as they neared the building; had it been in the center of Amity Park, Sam would have guessed it was an old library. But sitting there in the middle of a field in Camden, she understood that it was nothing more than a very eccentric-looking house. She felt Danny watching her from the corner of her eye and she glanced at him. He had a strange smile on his face. "Wanna go inside?" He asked.

Her heart leapt into her throat. "Yeah," She breathed. They were already turning up the winding driveway, the house growing larger and larger as they approached. Danny squeezed her hand before dropping it and putting the truck in park. Sam left her tea in the second cup holder, next to Danny's, as she climbed out of his truck. Her boots hit the dirt driveway as Danny's door slammed shut. He crossed over to her side, an easy smile on his face, and offered her his arm. She kicked her door shut and took his arm gladly.

"I think it's unlocked..." He said uncertainly as they climbed the steps to the front porch. He paused, his free hand digging through his pocket, before he gave up and gave the door an experimental push. It swung open easily, granting them access to the rooms within.

Sam released his arm in the entry way as he shut the door and locked it. Her eyes wandered to a spiraling staircase a few feet before them, to the arches towering in the ceiling above, to the warm cherry oak wood beneath her feet. A fireplace with a roaring fire stood proudly in the center of the room, which was otherwise bare, but large enough for Sam to imagine a large entertainment center with several plush faux-leather couches and chairs. She felt Danny's hand on the small of her back and she turned to find him peering into the room as well. "This is the living room." He said, sounding certain. "Kitchen's through this way," He lead her through the cavernous room to the kitchen. She could not tear her eyes from the acid-stained concrete floors, which were positively shining from wax, even though state-of-the-art appliances twinkled beneath a large sky-light where a ceiling should be. She ran her hand over the marble counters along the sides of the kitchen and on the island in the middle, unable to keep her jaw from dropping.

Danny chuckled at her expression. "It's nice, right?" He glanced around the room, looking rather impressed himself. "C'mon, I want to show you the rest of the house." Sam nodded dumbly and let him lead her out of the kitchen, into yet another conjoining room, which was not as large as the living room, but just as warm. "I think this is supposed to be the family room." He said uncertainly, glancing at the plush carpets and warm, forest-green walls. "I dunno. I wasn't listening very hard."

A million questions burned in Sam's throat, but she swallowed them. She knew he would answer them all eventually; she had to let him get the tour over with before he could explain. Her heart thumped in anticipation, but she berated herself for jumping to conclusions.

The family room had a door on the far wall that opened to a short hallway. At the other end of the hall, a large archway gave way to a ridiculously large bedroom, already furnished with one king-sized bed. "This is the master bedroom." He sounded entirely too pleased with himself at the size of the room, but Sam let him usher her inside anyways. "Master bath is right over there." He pointed to another, smaller archway, through which Sam could just barely see the corner of a large, jet-stream bathtub. Her toes curled in her boots in pleasure. _Oh please, please, please please_...

"C'mon, I still gotta show you upstairs." He chuckled. He took her right hand and pulled her back into the hallway, making sure he walked slow enough for her to glance down at the wood floors, to the sides at the sleek painted walls, and up to the ceilings, where several warm lights were installed into the exposed wooden beams. They were back in the entry way again, and he was pulling her up the staircase. It was wider than she originally thought, giving them plenty of space to walk up side-by-side. "There are only a few rooms up here. I think they're gonna add on, but I'm not sure..."

Her heart dropped. She knew it was too good to be true; her imagination ran rampant the second the house came into view. Images of herself and Danny several years older, married, playing with their future raven-haired children out in the fields before the house vanished in her mind. She tried to keep her disappointment out of her eyes, but she knew Danny could see right through it. Strangely enough, when he glanced back at her, his smile seemed to widen despite her sudden despair. He showed her the two rooms that could double as bedrooms or offices, before pushing the door to a washroom open. "This is the coolest part," He murmured to her. A large window stood proudly to the right of the door to the room. He turned the latch and pulled the window open on hinges Sam did not notice, suddenly turning the window into a door to the roof of the building. Sam took a cautious step forward, but before she could climb out, Danny was closing it. "We'll go out there later, I still haven't shown you the backyard." He explained, taking her hand again.

"Danny, Danny," She said, pulling his hand. He stopped turning back to her, his face the picture of innocence. "Why are you showing me all of this?"

"Trust me, okay?" He murmured. He brought his free hand up to stroke her cheekbone, before planting a swift kiss on her unsuspecting lips. "You trusted me last night. Trust me again now, okay?"

Heat rushed into her cheeks at the memory of the night before. She pushed the memories away quickly, filing them away to review whenever Danny went out of town again. She focused on the feeling of her hand in his as he led her quickly back down the staircase and toward the family room, chatting excitedly the entire way. "I think the location is great, it's right next to Amity Park, easy driving directions, there's no chance in hell anyone will ever get lost coming here..."

"Where are we going now?" Sam asked, ignoring the jealous ache in her heart for whoever owned this gorgeous house.

"Oh, I'm gonna show you _your_ favorite room," He shrugged. They were back in the hallway, trotting quickly toward the master bedroom. A door Sam did not see before suddenly came into her line of vision to the left of the bedroom, just seconds before Danny's free hand caught the door handle. He glanced back at her, a smug grin on his face, before pushing the door open.

Sam gasped. She was standing in the entry to a well-sized personal library. The shelves were empty, allowing her imagination to run free on what books she could fill them with. She dropped Danny's hand and walked a few steps further in, covering her mouth with her right hand. The jealous ache was like a knife in her heart, now; she wanted that house more than anything in the world. Her eyes traveled from the towering bookshelves to the large arching windows, down to the plush, cushioned window seats. She could even picture the pillows she would put there; they would be large, but not overpowering. The perfect kind to lean back against and read a book. The center of the room was vacant, leaving room for chairs or couches or cushions or whatever her imagination could conjure. She turned back to Danny, not bothering to hide the greenish tinge of envy in her vision. He chuckled and reached for her hand.

"I just have one last thing to show you." He said softly. She took his hand reluctantly, not quite ready to leave the library. But he lead her back into the hallway, closing the door behind them with a soft click. "The backyard has _got_ to be my favorite so far." He informed her as they walked back to the family room. Curtained French doors stood proudly against the back wall, unable to hide most of the light from the setting sun, but effectively covering the yard beyond. Danny glanced back at her before dropping her hands and opening both French doors with a dramatic flourish.

The sunlight blinded her for a moment, but as she blinked, the scene in the backyard came into focus. A blindingly white gazebo stood several yards away from the back porch, though a twisting concrete path connected the two. Quiet music was playing in the background, wafting lazily over the garden to the right of the wooden porch. Sam stepped out cautiously, her eyes on the bees busily working over the lilies and bluebonnets, before movement caught her eye. She looked back up and gasped when she realized that half a dozen couples were dancing around the back yard to the music.

Tucker and Valerie were the closest to Sam. They were both watching her, their grins blinding, as Danny's hand gently touched the small of Sam's back. "Wanna dance?" He breathed in her ear. She turned to him and nodded.

He led her down the porch, past Tucker and Valerie, who were watching them excitedly. Sam glanced away just as Valerie's head dropped to Tucker's shoulder, finding Jazz and Micah lost in each other a few feet away. Jazz glanced back at them as they passed her, mouthing _'I love you'_ to Danny, who smiled and mouthed it back to her. Sam spotted Jack and Maddie a few feet behind the gazebo; Maddie was crying softly and even Jack was mopping his eyes, both watching their son in adoration. Her parents were just beside them, smiling serenely at her. Suddenly Sam understood why she was forced to go to lunch with them. Dash and Paulina were on the opposite side of the gazebo from Jazz and Micah, and Sam even spotted Star dancing - though not very closely - with Marcus. A sudden move and the sunlight caught something around Star's neck; Sam realized she was wearing Kwan's engagement ring on a chain around her neck. Memories of Kwan's funeral flashed in her mind, but they vanished again when Danny lead her up the steps to the gazebo and wrapped an arm around her waist. He took his other hand and held it aloft, waiting until her right arm found his shoulder and her left landed in his.

They danced slowly, their eyes never leaving each other's. After a few moments, Sam forgot the others were there, blatantly watching them; she was so lost in Danny's eyes that all else ceased to exist. His forehead touched hers and they closed their eyes. Sam decided that standing there, breathing his air, his arms around her body, was not such a bad place to be. Though she would prefer to be that way on that king-sized bed in the bedroom of that amazing house.

"So what do you think of the house?" He asked her quietly. His voice was low and rumbling; she made the mistake of telling him that when he spoke in that voice, she all but melted.

She sighed longingly. "It's...amazing." She admitted, pulling back a little. She brought her right hand up to cup the back of his neck, scratching lightly right at the place where his hairline stopped. He closed his eyes and growled in approval. She chuckled. "Your parents are really lucky."

His eyes snapped open, flashing in confusion. "Why are my parents lucky?" He asked, glancing at the people in question. Sam suddenly remembered they had an audience. The music was still playing that same soft, slow song as before.

"Their new house is amazing and I am insanely jealous. I've never told anyone this, but...I've kind of secretly always wanted to live in Camden. You know, when I got married and had a family and all that. I've always loved Camden."

Danny's eyes brightened in understanding. He threw his head back an laughed. "This isn't my parents' house!" He chuckled, bringing his face down to hers and kissing the tip of her nose lightly. "It's mine."

She felt her heart stop. Despite what she said the day she left the hospital months earlier, she never bothered looking for her own apartment. Living with Danny felt right. But living together in a house?

"Wh-where...I don't...when did you...?" All of the questions that burned in her earlier were bubbling to the surface, each fighting to get through at the same time. "When did you buy a house?"

"The day after you got your cast taken off," He said, grinning smugly. _Four months, this punk has been hiding it from me_, she thought. "You were at work all day, so I came out here to look, and...well, and I ended up buying the place. Surprisingly, it didn't need a whole lot of renovation. A lot of painting, putting in the wood floors, turning the library into your library, and the backyard were the major projects. I had a lot of help," He glanced at Dash sheepishly. Sam craned her neck around and shot the jock a thankful look, which he responded to with a single thumbs-up. "But, uh...yeah. I've owned it for about four months now."

"When were you gonna tell me?" Sam asked, unable to conceal her blinding grin.

"Well, I was thinking, like...now." He shrugged, tightening his grip around her waist. She threw both arms around his neck and squeezed, hardly daring to believe the joy she felt in her heart in that moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could make that moment in time any better.

Nothing except...

She felt Danny sliding down, and for a moment she thought he was going to pick her up. But she quickly realized he was sinking to the ground. A moment of panic as she thought he was collapsing, but she quickly realized he was kneeling. And digging in his pocket.

Her heart stopped.

"Look, I know the implications that come with an unmarried couple moving into a house together," He said, pulling a small, circular box from this pocket and drumming his fingers against the lid nervously. "And I know your views on it, and your parents' views."

She was touched. He actually talked to her parents. He asked for permission, not that he needed it, to marry her. She had to stop herself from falling to the ground beside him. "So I was wondering...do you, you know...d'you wanna marry me?"

He popped the box open, revealing a tear-drop shaped diamond mounted on a thin silver band. Her breath caught in her throat as the crystal caught the sunlight slipping into the gazebo, before she turned her gaze to Danny's face. He was waiting, his eyes shining almost as brightly as the crystal, a small hopeful smile on his face.

"Yes," She whispered. His grin was blinding as he lurched to his feet and buried her in his arms. She squeezed him back as tightly as she could, laughing over the sounds of applause from their friends and family. He pulled back long enough to yank the ring out of the box and slip it over her finger before pulling her into the deepest kiss he had ever given her...in public. The guys surrounding them began to wolf-whistle, while the girls sighed dreamily.

Somehow the ring box ended up in her hand as their friends and family descended upon them, begging to get a glimpse of the ring. Danny explained how he saw the ring in a window on his first day in Rome, and the moment he saw it he knew he had to get it for Sam. Her face was already aching for how hard she smiled as the girls sighed lustfully at her ring and the boys smacked Danny on the shoulders in congratulations.

The box in her fingers suddenly became so cold it burned her skin. She cried out as she dropped it, but instead of hitting the ground, it soared up into the air. The Box Ghost appeared, catching the ring box as it soared toward his outstretched hand. "BEWARE!" He screamed, before rocketing off across the field.

"Oh _hell no! Not_ today! _Not that box!_" Danny screamed, flashing to Phantom and kicking off after the Box Ghost. "YOU BRING THAT BACK, YOU LITTLE _FREAK_!"

Sam watched her new fiancé chase after the Box Ghost, unable to contain her laughter. Standing there, bathed in the warm light of the sun with her friends and family - both current and future - while watching her future husband wrestle her ring box out of th Box Ghost's hand, Sam realized she forgot what home without Danny felt like. And she felt absolutely no desire to remember.

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**TWO references to Texas! HA! I'll give bonus points to whoever can review with both references. (:**

**Alright. I think I'm gonna take a few days to rest my writing chops before I get back into those other stories. Anyways, I really really REALLY hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I did.**

**And for reference, we'll pretend the song they were listening to was _Marry Me_ by Train. Because _Marry You_ by Bruno Mars is a little different.**

**Okay, my lovelies. I'm outta here.**

**- Tori Stone**

**PS This is the longest chapter yet, by over 1,000 words. Which makes sense, because I really didn't want to stop writing this. At all. But everything must end at some point, I suppose. Just like this A/N. (:**


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